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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 


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NEW PRACTICAL 

LETTER WRITING 

A TEXT BOOK FOR USE IN SCHOOLS 
A REFERENCE BOOK FOR EVERYBODY 


BY 

HENRY T. LOOMIS 

n 

Formerly Principal of the Spencerian Commercial 
School, Cleveland, Ohio; Instructor in Bryant’s 
College, Buffalo, N. Y.; and Associate Principal 
of the Detroit Business University. 


Cleveland, Ohio: 

The Practical Text Book Company 
Publishers 






TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Tv- V \ V, , Page 

Preface . t .VT, . \X . 3 

Introduction ..yA .V.. 5 

Letters . 7 

Materials . 12 

Heading of Letters .. 13 

Introduction to Letters . 17 

Body of Letters. 23 

Conclusion of Letters .. 25 

Folding . 34 

The Superscription . 36 

The Stamp . 42 

Capitals . 44 

Punctuation . 46 

The Right Word . 59 

Invention, Style, Diction . 92 

Letters Classified . 97 

Letters of Introduction . 98 

Letters of Application . 101 

Letters of Credit . 103 

Letters of Recommendation . 105 

Letters Acknowledging Payment . 107 

Letters Ordering Goods . 110 

Lexers Enclosing a Remittance . 112 

Letters Acknowledging Orders . 112 

Letters Enclosing Invoice . 116 

Letters Asking Payment . 117 

The Card System . 122 

Letters of Blackmail . 126 

Letters of Inquiry and Information . 127 

Letters to the Trade (circulars). 130 

Public Letters . 132 

Letters of Congratulation . 133 

Letters of Condolence . 134 

Rough Draft ... i. 137 

Miscellaneous Correspondence . 141 

Miscellaneous Hints . 147 

Copying and Filing . 150 

Telegrams . 159 

Advertising . 164 

Social Affairs . 165 

Our Postal System . 175 

To Stenographers . 186 

Classification of Titles . 190 

Forms of Address and Salutation . 195 

Catholic Titles and Forms . 199 

Classified List of Abbreviations . 205 

Population of Cities . 208 

Index . 215 


Copyright, 1897, by The Practical Text Book Company. 
Copyright, 1908, by The Practical Text Book Company. 
Copyright, 1911, by The Practical Text Book Company. 


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PREFACE 

Much of the business done at the present day is by corre¬ 
spondence, and the only writing that many persons do is comprised 
in their letters. One’s habits and abilities are judged by his letters, 
—and usually correctly. If he writes a letter which is well ar¬ 
ranged, neat and business-like, he is given credit for possessing like 
qualities in business. But if his letter is awkwardly worded, slov¬ 
enly and carelessly written, we conclude he possesses similar traits 
of character. It is important, therefore, that early training be 
given in neatness, correct forms, and established customs in writing 
letters. 

The present age demands directness of expression. Short, 
snappy sentences fall like blows straight from the shoulder. The 
pith and point should be stated tersely, but brevity and concise¬ 
ness must not be allowed to degenerate into an ungrammatical or 
discourteous phraseology, composed mainly of abbreviations and 
stereotyped business cant. In breaking away from needless ver¬ 
biage, the tendency is to the other extreme. 

A letter, however brief, should be complete as to essentials, 
and read smoothly. The language, however concise, should be 
none the less clear and appropriate. Terseness must not be ob¬ 
tained at the expense of precision. Therefore, the special instruc¬ 
tion we have given for the avoidance of common errors is more 
and more needed, in order to make business English effective. 
The chapter on “The Right Word,” covering mainly Diction and 
Style, has been carefully prepared with that end in view. 

Many commercial students never have an opportunity to take 
a thorough English training course, and it is a great advantage to 
them to use a book in which Letter Writing and English are com¬ 
bined. To those who have taken a course in English, a review 
of these most practical features is none the less important. 

The instruction in business letter writing is equally applicable 
to all other classes of letters. The forms given, and the sugges¬ 
tions concerning social letters, invitations, cards, etc., are sufficient 
to meet the requirements of most persons. 


PREFACE 


The forms and illustrations under the various headings clearly 
show the arrangement of all kinds of letters and how to direct 
envelopes. The engraved forms, the explanations, the instruction, 
and especially the exercises, will, it is hoped, enable students to 
write good original letters—ability which they would never acquire 
by merely copying the letters given in books on letter writing. The 
script models will serve as excellent copies in the development of 
neat, plain, and beautiful penmanship. 

Special chapters contain the most recent and reliable informa¬ 
tion concerning our Postal System, the Postal Union, Telegraph 
and Cable messages, Cipher and Code messages, Day Letters and 
Night Lettergrams, the “Telepost,” etc. Card indexes, and mod¬ 
ern methods of classifying, filing and copying letters have received 
due attention. Also, the most extended and reliable list of Titles, 
and instruction in using them correctly, are included. 

To the Teacher .—The exercises to be prepared by students 
should be neatly and carefully written and systematically arranged. 
The letters should be written and folded, and the envelopes directed, 
exactly as if they were to be mailed. This should be insisted upon 
by the teacher. No untidy or careless work should be accepted, and 
pupils should be required to adhere to the forms prescribed for the 
various letters. 

The exercises and letters written by students should be care¬ 
fully corrected and returned to them. The teacher should require 
students to rewrite and return to him letters containing many errors. 
One letter a week or month from each student may be preserved to 
show his progress. Such errors as come from carelessness rather 
than from a lack of knowledge should not be tolerated. Nothing 
short of the best a student can do should be accepted. 

To suggest methods of marking errors, we give, with a series 
of lessons, a corrected letter. The teacher may add to the interest 
and value of the lessons by occasionally reading meritorious or 
faulty letters to the class, pointing out the more common errors, 
and calling attention to superiority in arrangement and construction. 

The student is urged to give to this subject the attention it 
merits; to study thoroughly the forms and explanations; to follow 
the instructions given; to write neatly and carefully his letters and 
exercises; to note corrections and try to avoid the same errors there¬ 
after. We are sure he will be amply rewarded by the knowledge 
and proficiency thus gained. 





INTRODUCTION 

The world-wide expansion of the mail service is conclusive 
evidence of a corresponding increase in the importance of Letter 
Writing. Modern business relations on the one hand, and modern 
social requirements on the other, have so developed as to include 
every stage of human life from childhood to old age; and these 
relations and requirements have so extended the scope of human 
activity that the whole world is one large neighborhood, taxing to 
the utmost every known means of communication. The mail, the 
telegraph, and the telephone lines are worked so nearly up to the 
limit of their capacity as to require, daily, more formality, with 
the resulting increased dispatch in the transaction of business 
affairs, and the performance of social functions. 

These great avenues of communication afford every business 
man the means of drawing on the resources of the whole world 
for material, and then provide him the opportunity to extend his 
market to the ends of the earth. But of what avail are all these 
means and opportunities if the business man cannot write or dic¬ 
tate such communications as will prove effective? Of the millions 
of communications passing daily, how many are as effective as they 
might be ? Certainly not all. On the other hand, how many business 
failures, annually, may be justly attributed to the want of effective¬ 
ness in the correspondence connected with that business? 

Aside from the mechanical features of a letter, which are 
largely conventional and easily mastered, the whole problem of 
Letter Writing is one of composition. What to say, and how to 
say it, is the main question to be determined. While it is true 
that any written communication is but a talk on paper , there is, 
nevertheless, a certain conciseness in style, and a precision in dic¬ 
tion, which should characterize every branch of business corre¬ 
spondence. Also, there is a certain formality of style and pro¬ 
priety of diction required in social correspondence. 


6 


INTRODUCTION 


In pursuance of this idea, those features of grammar and 
^rhetoric which are essential to the expression of thought in a pre¬ 
cise and business-like style have been profusely illustrated and em¬ 
phasized, to the end that the student shall be assured a practical 
and usable knowledge of the best forms of business English. So, 
too, the elegant and courteous forms of expression adopted for 
conventional use in society have received due consideration. By 
means of numerous drills and exercises, both oral and written, the 
correct forms of expression become more familiar than the incor¬ 
rect forms to which the student may have been accustomed; and 
from that time forward the main purpose of rhetoric and grammar 
has been accomplished; viz., to enable the zvriter to present his 
thoughts effectively to the mind of the reader. 

The ability to do this is second only to the gift of speech. 

To make writing effective, one must be able to think effect¬ 
ively. Clearness of expression requires, first, clearness of thought. 
One cannot give full and comprehensive information until his mind 
has formed accurate and definite conceptions of the facts under 
consideration. It is through logical methods of analysis and in¬ 
struction, as exemplified in these pages, that the student’s thoughts 
are brought to a focus; and then the mind becomes enlightened in 
proportion as the subject is illuminated by well chosen illustrations. 

After separate instruction and exercises have been given on 
each kind of business letters, a connected series of business tran¬ 
sactions is introduced, the student being allowed to write all the 
letters, both outgoing and incoming, required by those transactions. 
The transactions are so composed and related that all kinds of 
letters are called forth, the letters themselves becoming interre¬ 
lated as in the natural sequence of actual business, thus imparting 
the flavor of reality which adds zest, and makes the student’s task 
a decided pleasure. This is a new and important feature of our 
book, and one .which, we believe, will be duly appreciated by both 
teacher and student. 




LETTERS 




LYING over this wide world of ours are millions of 
white-winged messengers bearing communications 
from one person to another—written talks upon 
paper, called letters. The style, length, and form of a 
letter, are determined by circumstances. Letters to equals 
and superiors should be respectful; to inferiors, courteous; 
to friends, familiar; to relatives, affectionate. 


“The primary idea of a letter is conversation at a distance. If this be 
kept in mind, one can scarcely fail to write appropriately, if one can converse 
properly. A letter may be reserved, dictatorial, or dignified, according to the 
relations between the writer and the person addressed.” 


KINDS OF LETTERS 


2. Broadly speaking, all letters may be divided into two 
classes: 1. Business. 2. Social. 

3. Business Letters need no formal definition, because the 
term is self-defining. 

4. There are two general classes of business letters: 1. 
Personal. 2. Official. 

5. This distinction grows out of the fact that when an officer 
of the state, county, or city writes a letter on any business con¬ 
nected with his office, he does it by authority of the law, and under 
limitations and restrictions which constitute him a representative 
of the state, county, or city; and he is, therefore, not personally 
concerned in the matter under consideration. Your letter to him 
is a letter to the state or goverment; his letter to you is a letter 
from the state or government. If his dealings with you are unjust, 
he is not to blame, providing he obeys his legal instructions; and 
you look not to him, but to the courts, for redress against the 
state. Letters from business corporations are also signed by officers 
of the company, and are classed as official correspondence. 

6. There are many subdivisions of Business Letters, most 
of which apply to both Personal and Official letters. (See 
page 97). 

7. Social Letters are such as grow out of our relations to 
each other as friends and relatives, or as members of the community 
in which we live. They are usually prompted by friendship or 
affection, and may include domestic or family affairs, as well as the 
affairs of society in general. 




















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































LETTER WRITING 


9 


While all letters are either Business or Social, a few are marked 
by special features which seem to put them in a separate class. 
Thus, 

8. Public Letters embrace communications to newspapers, 
and reports or essays addressed to some person or persons, but 
intended for publication. They are letters in form only. Fre¬ 
quently a writer publishes a letter addressed to some prominent 
person, criticising his actions or opinions, or asking him a number 
of questions with the view of receiving a published reply. Such 
a communication is usually called an “open letter.” A card of 
thanks may be published as a letter to friends who have rendered 
assistance or extended sympathy. A published recommendation 
may be in the form of a letter “To Whom It May Concern.” 
Most advertisements are but letters to the reading public. What¬ 
ever the form a public letter may take, its subject matter is such 
as to be easily classified as either Business or Social. 


STRUCTURE OF LETTERS. 


9. The Structure of a letter includes the material and form 
of its component parts. The materials for letter writing—pen, ink, 
paper, and envelope, vary somewhat according to occasion, but 
the component parts of a letter are essentially the same. They 
are as follows: 


1. Heading / 


Place 

Date 


{ a. Name 
b. Address 
c. Salutation 


| STRUCTURE 
OF LETTERS 


-2 r. , fa. Paragraphs 
3. Body Margin 

„ „ , fa. Complimentary close 

5. Folding Signature 

) a. Note size 
b. Letter size 
c. Special sizes and shapes 

6. Superscription. 

7. Stamp, etc. 


10. The next two facing pages illustrate the position of the 
parts of a letter, and their wording in a particular case. 




MARGIN 


10 


LETTER WRITING 


SKELETON 


ER 


HEADING 


ADDRE88 


SALUTATION 


BODY 


BODY 


COMPLIMENTARY CL08E 

SIGNATURE 
























MODEL LETTER 


11 



Qe/aware, $&£o, Maroh 24, 1912. 


Missouri Automobile Mfg. Co., 

St. Louis, Mo. 

Gentlemen: 

Confinning our telephone talk with your Mr. Wright 
at ten o’clock this morning, we agree for the consideration of 
Pour Hundred and Sixty-five Dollars over and above the contract 
prioe.rto complete the twenty-four Gasoline Engines specified 
in your order of Feb. 29th last, and ship same to your address 
on or before April 15, 1912, instead of May 10, 1912, as spec¬ 
ified in the original contraot. 

Awaiting your remittance for this extra allowance, which, 
as we understand it, is to be paid at once in order to bind us 
to this agreement, we remain. 

Yours very truly, 

THE COOK MOTOR CO. 

By i 



Manage^. 




12 


LETTER WRITING 


MATERIALS 

11. Paper.—The paper used in letter writing, whether for 
business or social purposes, should be of good quality; both on 
account of the better work that can be done with good paper, 
and because of the impression it makes on one’s correspondent. 
We judge people largely by the surroundings they choose, and by 
the kind of tools with which they work. 

Size .—There are so many styles and sizes of paper used for so¬ 
cial purposes that one cannot be governed by any fixed standard. 

In business, the sizes most used are note paper, about 6 by 9 
inches, and letter paper, about 8 by 10 inches. 

Color. —White paper is almost universally used in business 
correspondence, although tinted paper is preferred by some. In 
social correspondence many different tints are used, and any deli¬ 
cate tint is appropriate. Strong colors should be avoided. 

12. Envelopes.—The envelopes should correspond with the 
paper in color, size, and style. 

For social letters, an envelope that will admit the paper in one 
or two convenient folds should be used. 

For business letters, use an envelope that is a little larger than 
the paper after the letter is folded correctly. 

The more common sizes used in business are No. 6 (3^ by 6 
inches), and No. 6y 2 (Z l / 2 by 6y inches). For official communi¬ 
cations, legal documents, vouchers, etc., use an official envelope— 
usually about 4x9 inches. 

13. Pens.—Good pens should always be used, as no one can 
do his best writing with a poor pen. Steel pens are now so inex¬ 
pensive and of such good quality, that they are almost universally 
used for all kinds of business and for fine writing as well. 

14. Ink.—The ink should flow freely and make a fine line. 
Black ink, or writing fluid, is now used almost exclusively in all 
kinds of correspondence, and is in much better taste than colored 
ink; besides, colored inks are liable to fade. 




HEADING 


13 


15. The heading of a letter embraces the address of the 
writer and the date. It may occupy one, two, or three lines, ac¬ 
cording to the length of the address. It should never occupy more 
than three lines, unless it is a printed heading containing the busi¬ 
ness card of the writer. The following is the form for an ad¬ 
dress of one line: 


Model 1* 


/>^\^^^/\^VVVVVWWWV/WWVVVWWVVWVVWWV\/WV/WVWWWW\/WNA 







16. If writing from a large city, and your local address is not 
well known to your correspondent, your street number should first 
be given, after which, the correct order is the city, state, day of the 
month, and year, as in the following: 

Model 2 


3(7 -Zslscf, 


17. If writing from the country, the proper order is the post 
office, county, state, and date, as follows: 

Model 3 





*Note.—The engraved models throughout this book have been written, either with 
pen or typewriter, on paper eight inches wide, which is the full width of letter paper. 
Then they have been photo-reduced just one-half, making the engravings four inches 
wide to suit the size of the pages. .This process, it will be noticed, preserves the pro¬ 
portions of all the parts, so that when our instructions direct that a certain part should 
begin, say at the middle of the line, our models will correspond exactly with our in¬ 
structions. When, however, the width of a margin, or the space to be occupied by any 
part is mentioned in inches, our models will be found to be just' one-half that much, 
because they have been necessarily reduced. 
















14 


LETTER WRITING 


18. In writing from a small place, it is always better to give 
the name of the county ; for, when that is on the envelope, it some¬ 
times aids the employes of the post office department in distributing 
the mail, and may prevent errors or delay in delivery, especially if 
there are, in the same state, two or more post offices having the 
same or similar names. 

19. In writing from a well-known school or public institution, 
it is customary to give its name in the heading of your letter before 
writing the address and date, in the following order, which form 
will occupy three lines, unless the address is short: 



Note that in all these forms, the date comes last, and is placed 
at the right-hand side of the page. 

20. If a letter is written from a department of the state or 
national government, the name of that department is usually given 
in the heading of the letter. 

21. Printed letterheads are now used by business houses, the 
matter being so arranged that only the date needs to be written, 
and a blank space is left for that purpose in the correct location! 
When ruled paper is used, the heading should begin on the first 
line. 

22. If the heading embraces two lines, the second line should 
begin nearly an inch to the right of the first, as in model 2. 

This heading may, if preferred, be arranged as follows: 

Model 5 















HEADING 


15 


23. If the heading occupies three lines, begin the third as far 
to the right of the second, as that is to the right of the first, as in 
Model 4. 

24. In general, whether the heading contains one, two, or 
three lines, the matter should be so disposed that the date will 
fill its line well out to the right. 

25. On ruled paper, the first line is usually one and one-half 
to two inches below the top of the sheet. The heading should be¬ 
gin on this line, or, in the case of a very short letter on ruled or 
unruled paper, it should be far enough from the top to make the 
spaces above the heading and below the signature about equal. 

26. If two or three lines are used for the heading, care should 
be taken to arrange the divisions of the heading correctly on the 
lines; for instance, in writing T815 Euclid Ave.,’ it should be all 
on one line; in writing ‘Jefferson, Ashtabula County,’ it would be 
incorrect to put ‘Ashtabula’ on one line, and ‘County’ on another. 

27. If the address and date are placed at the close of the let¬ 
ter, as is sometimes the case in social correspondence, they should 
begin on the next line below the signature; near the left of the 
page, and if occupying more than one line, the parts should be in 
the same relative position as when written at the beginning of the 
letter. The following is an illustration of this form: 



28. In business letters, the address and date are always writ¬ 
ten at the top. 

29. Punctuation. —The parts of the heading of a letter should 
be separated by commas, as in the models. These commas mark 






16 


LETTER WRITING 


the divisions between the different parts of the heading. A period 
should always follow each abbreviation, and one should be placed 
at the end of the heading. It is not now customary to write the 
abbreviations ‘th\ ‘st’ or ‘d’ after the figures denoting the day of the 
month, when the year is written. You should write October 21 , 
1912 , and not “October 21st, 1912.” 

In the body of the letter, however, or when the year is not 
written, these abbreviations must be used; as ‘Yours of the 21st 
inst.’ When the abbreviations are used, they should be written 
on the line, and not above it. 

30. In social forms these ordinals are always spelled out in 
full; as, ‘Your kind invitation of the twenty-first.’ 


EXERCISE 1 

Note.—All exercises are to be written on foolscap paper or letter paper, 
and handed to the teacher. 

31. Write the following headings according to the foregoing 
instructions, capitalizing all proper names: 

1. june 23 1912 pittsburg pa 

2. harrisburg pa 743 east walnut st aug 13 1914 

3. 1912 17 april burton ohio geauga county 

4. Chicago ill 1625 to 1630 masonic temple sep 2 1915 

5. oct 31 n y new york corner fif th avenue and 42nd st 1912 room 10 
knickerbocker bldg 

6. oberlin college jan 15 1913 oberlin ohio 

7. dec 25 murraysville ill scott co 1920 

8. san francisco calif 1482 sacramento st 1916 29 feb 

9. Washington d c 248 i st n w july 27 1912 

10. Write a correct heading for the present date, for the school you 
are now attending. 

11. Write the correct heading for a letter dated at your home last 
Christmas. 

12. Write the correct heading for a letter dated on your last birthday, 
and at some small town in the county in which you live. 


I 




INTRODUCTION 


17 


INTRODUCTION 

32. The introduction of a letter embraces the name and 
address of the party written to, and the salutation. The salutation 
is the term ‘Dear Sir,’ ‘Madam,’ etc. The name of the person 
addressed should be written on the first line following the heading, 
beginning the same distance from the left edge of the paper as the 
full lines in the body of the letter. 

33. Name and Title.—Politeness and custom both require 
that some title should be used in the address, either before or after 
the name. The more common titles are Miss, Mrs., Mr., and Esq. 
If a gentleman has no literary, professional, or military title, his 
name should be preceded by the abbreviation Mr., or followed by 
Esq. Esq. is most appropriate when applied to lawyers and jus¬ 
tices of the peace. Do not use the title ‘Esq.’ indiscriminately 
in business letter writing; ‘Mr.’ is to be preferred. Mr. and Esq. 
should never both be used, either in the introduction of the letter 
or in the direction on the envelope. If you use one, omit the other. 

34. Two or more titles of courtesy should not be connected 
with the same name, except in cases like the following: In writ¬ 
ing to a clergyman whose surname only is known, it is customary 
to address him as ‘Rev. Mr. Brown.’ (See 555.) Two or more 
professional or literary titles may be used with one name, as Rev. 
John Smith, D. D., LL. D. When titles are so used, they should 
be written in the order in which they are supposed to have been 
conferred. 

35. In addressing a firm of gentlemen, the right title to use is 
Messrs., (abbreviation for Messieurs, French for Gentlemen) ; if 

young ladies, Misses; married or elderly ladies, Mesdames (pro¬ 
nounced Ma-dahm'). If the firm be composed of ladies and gentle¬ 
men, use no title. See page 195 for a full list of correct forms of 
address and salutation. 

36. The Residence, following the name, should embrace the 
full post office address of the person to whom the letter is written, 
and a business letter should contain the full post office address of 
the writer as well. It is customary, in business letter writing, to 




18 


LETTER WRITING 


write the address in full, and not the name only, at the beginning 
of a letter. The relative position of the lines in the address should 
be the same as in the heading; viz., each line, after the first, com¬ 
mencing about an inch to the right of the beginning of the preced¬ 
ing line. 

37. When the address includes only the name of the city and 
state, write them upon the second line. If it includes the street and 
number, or some other special direction, write this upon the second 
line, and the name of the city and state upon the third. 

38. Salutation.—This is the greeting at the beginning of a 
letter; the term of affection, respect, or politeness, with which we 
introduce the letter. 

It should immediately follow the heading, or name and ad¬ 
dress, when given, and precede the body of the letter. The word¬ 
ing depends upon the relation of the writer to the person ad¬ 
dressed. The following are the salutations commonly used in busi¬ 
ness letters, arranged in the order of their cordiality: 

Sir, Sirs, Madam, 

Dear Sir, Gentlemen, Dear Sirs, Dear Madam, 

My dear Sir, My dear Sirs, My dear Madam. 

39. The salutations employed in addressing one gentleman, 
are: Sir, used in writing to public officials, and in the most formal 
business letters; Dear Sir, the form most used in business; and 
My dear Sir, denoting more familiarity. The correct salutation in 
addressing a married lady is Madam, or Dear Madam. There is 
no similar form of salutation to use in addressing an unmarried 
lady, therefore the salutation should be omitted, as in Model 8. 
Write the name and address, then begin the letter. The salutation 
for a firm of gentlemen, is Sirs, Dear Sirs, or Gentlemen. Never 
abbreviate Dear to “Dr.,” or Gentlemen to “Gents.” An almost 
unlimited number of salutations might be given for social letters, 
such as Dear Friend, Dear Mother, My dear Smith, Friend Brown, 
Dear Charlie, etc. Many other titles and salutations are given in 
the classification beginning on page 190. 

40. Position.—In business letters the address is always writ¬ 
ten at the beginning of the letter, but in military and official let- 



MODELS OF INTRODUCTION 


19 


ters, the address is sometimes written at the beginning and some¬ 
times at the close. If the address occupies three lines , the saluta¬ 
tion should begin under the initial letter of the second line, as in 
Model 5, or under that of the first line, as in Model 6. If the ad ¬ 
dress occupies two lines, the salutation may begin as far to the 
right of the second line as that begins to the right of the first, as 
in Model 3, or under the initial letter of the first line, as in Model 4. 
The former is the better arrangement for a wide sheet of paper, 
and the latter for a narrow one. If the address occupies but one 
line, the salutation, or letter, should begin about one inch to the 
right of the marginal line, as in Model 2, or directly under the end¬ 
ing of the name, if it be short, as in Model 1. 

41. Punctuation.—A comma should follow each part of the 
address, and a period should be placed at the end of the whole 
address, as in the Models. 

42. If a title follows the name, it should be separated from 
the latter by a comma, and if two or more titles are used, a comma 
should separate them. Every abbreviation must be followed by a 
period. The salutation should be followed by a colon; or, if the 
letter begins on the same line, a colon and a dash. The comma 
may be used instead of the colon, but the colon is preferable. 

43. Capitals.—Every important word of the address and 
every noun in the salutation should be capitalized. 

MODELS OF INTRODUCTION 

44. The following forms will show the various ways in which 
the introduction may be arranged: 

Model 1 












LETTER WRITING 


20 



Model 3 








Model 4 




I 

_ -~£dsCy. 


Model 5 




CzsU^irrTS, 


/& 





^£^CS, 

45. When the address occupies two lines, the salutation may begin as in 
Model 3, or under the beginning of the name, as in Model 4, and the body of 




















MODELS OF INTRODUCTION 


21 


the letter on the same or the next line Model 4 is, perhaps, the best form 
for general use. It can be made to suit almost every occasion, and many 
business houses employ no other form. 

Model 6 




46. This form may be used for social letters. In business letters to 
married women, adopt the arrangement in any one of Models 3, 4, 5, or 6, 
writing ‘Madam’ or ‘Dear Madam’ for a salutation. 


Model 8 



47. Use this form, omitting the salutation, in writing a business letter 
to an unmarried woman; or the name only, ‘Miss Nina Raymond,’ may be 
used, without the post office address. 

48. Model 9, in which none of the lines are indented, shows a form of 
heading and salutation that has come into vogue quite recently. While this 
form is severe in its style and lacks the grace and elegance given by various 
degrees of indentation, it is slightly more convenient for typewriters, because 
the carriage may be drawn back to the zero point for every line. This form 

















22 


LETTER WRITING 


also has the advantage that when once adopted it suits equally well for all 
cases. Its appearance may grow in favor with use. 

Model 9 

476 State Street, Chicago, Ill., 

July 19, 1912. 

The Warner & Swasey Co., 

6809 Carnegie Ave. S. B, ! 

Cleveland, Ohio. 

Gentlemen: — In aooordanoe with our telephone conversation this morn¬ 
ing with your superintendent, Mr. Henderson, we are sending you under / 
separate oover two blue-prints showing the required pitch for bevel-gear ■ 
to be used, eto. j! 


EXERCISE 2 

Write in correct form, on paper of letter size, the following 
headings and introductions. Omit a line or two after each example. 

1. Canton ohio sep 4 1911 mr john s morgan ft wayne ind dear sir your 
letter etc. 

2. Rutland meigs co ohio aug 15 1912 mrs ida m collins 16 park place 
jamestown n y dear madam if it is convenient etc. 

3. 486 chestnut st Philadelphia pa oct 31 1913 messrs brockway & foster 
87 federal st augusta maine gentlemen enclosed we hand you etc. 

4. Louisville ky 15 march 1914 friend simpson will you please etc. 

5. Ashville n c grand view hotel june 17 1915 miss marie s hopkins 125 
madison ave la crosse wis it is with regret etc. 

6. Office of the advertising novelty co 19-25 w university st hartford 
conn sep 30 1916 the eagle refining co suite 527 fidelity bldg fourth ave 
pittsburg pa dear sirs we are pleased to receive etc. 

7. Peoples savings bank the bowery and e 9th st new york n y apr 2 
1917 sherman hoyt esq blackstone bldg jersey city n j my dear mr hoyt your 
check etc. 

8. Wheaton putnam co ind oct 16 1918 master william c whitaker kings- 
ton des moines co iowa my dear cousin willie my birthday etc. 

9. Write the heading and introduction for a letter dated at your pres¬ 
ent place and time, and addressed to one of your relatives, with correct 
address and appropriate salutation. 

10. Write the heading and introduction suitable for an answer to No 
9, dated ten days later. 

11. Write the heading and introduction to a business letter written from 
some country town to Miss Anna C. Weston, 198 Main St., Franklin, Pa. 

12. Write an appropriate heading and introduction (1) to a business 
firm; (2) to an intimate friend; (3) to a lawyer; (4) to a child; (5) to 
a married lady friend; (6) to your teacher. 






BODY OF LETTER 


23 


BODY OF THE LETTER 

49. The body of a letter is the communication, exclusive of 
the heading, introduction, and conclusion. 

50. Beginning.—The body of the letter should usually begin 
on the next line after, and just to the right of, the salutation ; but 
if the address is long, as in Models 3, 5, and 6, it may begin on 
the same line, in which case a colon and a dash (or a comma 
and a dash), should be placed between the salutation and the 
first word of the letter, with only enough space for such punctua¬ 
tion. 

51. Margin.—There should always be a blank space on the 
left side of the page, but none on the right.* The width of this 
margin depends upon the size of the paper. On letter paper, it 
should be at least three-fourths of an inch, and on note paper, 
about half as much. 

52. The margin should be even.- —The habit of writing it so, 
may be acquired by at first drawing a pencil line where the lines 
should begin, or using, under the paper on which you are writing, 
a sheet of paper on which a heavy black line has been ruled. If a 
pencil line is ruled, it should always be erased after the letter is 
written, but it is better not to use the pencil line except in practic¬ 
ing. Fill out the lines at the right side of the page as evenly as 
possible, leaving no margin, but avoid unduly crowding the edge. 
For division of words, see paragraph 593. 

53. Paragraphs.—A letter should be paragraphed in the same 
manner as other compositions. In dismissing one topic, mark the 
beginning of the next by commencing a new paragraph, which, 
catching the reader’s eye, prepares him for the change. Do not 
make too many paragraphs. All paragraphs, except the first, 
should begin as far to the right of the marginal line as the latter 
is from the edge of the paper. This will indent the line just enough 
to correspond with the width of the margin. The place of be¬ 
ginning the first paragraph varies according to the salutation used. 
The arrangement of paragraphs, excepting the first, should be about 
the same in written letters as in printed books. 


*Note exception to this in paragraph 60. 





24 


LETTER WRITING 


54. Neatness.—Never send a letter in which there are blots, 
erasures, or interlineations; it is better to copy such communica¬ 
tions. Blots and erasures are indications of carelessness and of 
liability to make mistakes. Our correspondents judge us largely by 
the appearance of our letters, and we should be careful, as far as is 
in our power, to cultivate and retain their good opinion. 

55. Penmanship.—No accomplishment can be of greater 
worth in business than good penmanship. It is an invaluable intro¬ 
duction to a business office, and is often the cause of promotion. 
While time is required to make one’s accomplishments in other 
lines known, his good penmanship speaks for itself at sight. 

56. The penmanship should be neat, plain, and as rapid as is 
consistent with these qualities. Avoid flourishes, and write with 
little or no shade. No one can become a good penman without 
an effort on his part, and a good handwriting is almost sure to be 
acquired by any one who is willing, persistent, careful, and earnest 
in his endeavor to attain it. Careful practice will constantly im¬ 
prove one’s handwriting, while carelessness may spoil a good style 
already acquired. A carelessly written letter is not only prejudicial 
to the writer and disrespectful to his correspondent, but needlessly 
consumes time of the latter in deciphering it. A man with an 
established reputation can possibly afford to write a poor hand, 
but certainly no one starting in business life can afford it. 

57. Write no more letters than you can write well. Write 
plainly, neatly, slowly if you must, but write as well as you can; 
you cannot afford to write otherwise. 

58. Write on one side only.—Business letters should be 
written on only one side of the paper. When the topics to be 
treated differ very widely it is better to write two or more sep¬ 
arate letters. This enables the manager who receives them to refer 
them simultaneously to different departments for attention. It 
also facilitates filing according to subjects treated. Of course such 
separate letters may be enclosed in the same envelope. 

59. Another method is to use separate sheets for each sub¬ 
ject discussed, numbering and identifying them in any way that 



CONCLUSION 


25 


will show that they all belong with the first sheet, containing the 
heading and introduction. They can then be referred separately, 
and, if desired, may be filed separately, also. 

60. Very Short Letters.—Most business houses have some 
of their letter heads printed on half-length sheets, to be used only 
for short letters. These are very convenient, but are found only 
in business offices. When it is necessary to write a very short 
letter on a full sized page, the heading and introduction should be 
lowered enough to bring the body of the letter about in the middle 
of the page. If only three or four lines are to be written, it is 
still better to shorten the lines to about half length, and center 
them in the page, giving the whole letter a more compact appear¬ 
ance. 

61. The diction and style of composition of the body of a 
letter will be treated in separate chapters. Exercises for practice 
will also be given later on in the work. 

CONCLUSION 


62. The conclusion of a letter embraces what follows the 
communication itself, and consists of two parts, (1) the Compli¬ 
mentary Close; (2) the Signature. 

63. Complimentary Close.—This is the phrase of respect, 
courtesy, or endearment following the body of the letter, imme¬ 
diately preceding the signature. 

64. Position.—The complimentary close should be written 
on the first blank line following the body of the letter, beginning 
about the middle of the line. The following are the most common 
forms of complimentary close used in business letters: 


Yours truly, 

Yours very truly, 
Respectfully, 

Very respectfully, 


Yours very respectfully, Sincerely yours, 

Faithfully, Cordially yours, 

Yours faithfully, Yours gratefully, 

Sincerely, Yours fraternally. 


65. Some of these may be varied by transposition of the 
words, as, “Very truly yours,” and if the complimentary close 
is long, it may occupy two or three lines. The words used should 



26 


LETTER WRITING 


conform to circumstances, as in the salutation, and should corre¬ 
spond with it in style, and degree of intimacy or relationship. ‘Dear 
Sir' or ‘Dear Madam’ being the salutation, the complimentary 
close may very properly be ‘Respectfully,’ ‘Yours truly,’ ‘Yours 
faithfully,’ ‘Yours sincerely,’ ‘Yours very truly,’ etc. ‘Respect¬ 
fully’ or ‘Yours respectfully’ are now used much more in business 
letters than formerly. 

66. Some firms omit the salutation and complimentary close 
entirely. While this saves time and may be considered more busi¬ 
ness-like, there is hardly too much of form and cordiality now in 
our business relations, and for this reason we recommend the use 
of these words, although they are in some instances almost mean¬ 
ingless. If no salutation be used, the complimentary close should 
also be omitted. It seems abrupt to omit these formal words, be¬ 
cause of their long use, but where the question of personal respect 
cannot arise, the words may very properly be omitted, especially 
if the communication is very brief. 

67. For social letters, a great variety of forms might be 
given; such as, ‘Affectionately,’ ‘Your friend,’ ‘Your loving father,’ 
‘Ever yours,’ ‘Very sincerely yours,’ ‘Most faithfully yours,’ etc. 

68. The words used for the .complimentary close are varied 
according to the relations of the parties; the complimentary close 
depends somewhat upon the salutation also, and the same words 
should not be used in both. If a person be addressed as “Dear 
Friend” in the salutation, the word friend should not be repeated 
in the complimentary close; and “Respectfully” would be too formal 
to use in the complimentary close. The word “remain,” used in 
the complimentary close, implies previous correspondence. 

69. The words “I remain,” “I am,” “We are,” “We re¬ 
main,” etc., are usually part of the last sentence in the body of 
the letter. They may be followed by a comma before dropping 
down to the complimentary close, even though the grammatical 
sense does not require it. In some cases the sense is so close as 
not to admit of a comma at the end of the last line of the body. 
See Models 1 and 2 on the next page. 




CONCLUSION 


27 


70. It is very poor taste to use such endings as “Having 
nothing more to say, I will now close/’ or “I must stop now as I 
want to make a call this evening/’ or even “I will now close.” 
Bad as these are it is even worse to begin a letter “I thought I 
would answer your letter,” or “I sit down and take my pen in 
hand,” or “As I have nothing else to do, I will write.” Some 
of these phrases are impertinent as well as senseless. 

71. The following are graceful conclusions to letters of friend¬ 
ship ; the dotted line showing the position of the signature: 


1 . 


I am sincerely grateful to know that you are my friend, even a9 

I am 


Yours, 


2 . 


May we meet in health and happiness, and may you be as kindly disposed 
as ever to 


Your friend, 


3. 

And now farewell and fare ever well. 

Yours, 


4. 


My best wishes accompany you on what I trust will be a pleasant journey. 
Yours ever, 


5. 

And trusting you will preserve a kind remembrance of me, I remain, 
Yours most sincerely, 


72. The first- word only of the complimentary close should 
begin with a capital. Never abbreviate a word in the salutation or 
complimentary close. Never write ‘Yours, £tc.’ for the latter. 








28 


LETTER WRITING 


Official letters have a more formal close than any others; 
such as, 


l. 


I am, sir, 


Your obedient servant. 


2 . 

I have the honor to be (or remain) 

Your obedient servant, 


3. 

I have the honor to be (or remain) 
Very respectfully, 


When more than one line is used for the complimentary close, 
the portion that is on each line should begin with a capital. 

73. These forms of official etiquette are not adhered to strictly. 
The term, '‘Your obedient servant/’ so generally used in official let¬ 
ters, is also a very appropriate term to use in writing to a patron or 
superior, but not in ordinary correspondence, where it would sug¬ 
gest obsequiousness or servility. 

74. Signature.—This should follow the complimentary close, 
on the next line, and end at the right edge of the paper, or near it. 
In business letters it should be the ordinary business signature of 
the person, so that if for any cause the letter is not delivered, it 
may be promptly returned to the writer from the dead letter office. 
Some persons are in the habit of sending letters to friends without 
signature, or of carelessly mailing important business letters un¬ 
signed. If the letter contains a remittance, or anything of import¬ 
ance, the name should be written in full. A letter that is miscar¬ 
ried on account of insufficient address, or fails for any other cause 
to reach the person for whom it is intended, is sent to the dead let- 






CONCLUSION. 


29 


ter office, whence it is returned to the writer, if known. About 
$50,000.00 is lost annually through the failure of writers to sign 
their full names to letters containing money. Friendly letters or 
those not containing matters of business importance, may be signed 
in an informal manner. 

75. Write your name plainly. Some persons seem to have 
an idea that, because they know their names, every one to whom 
they write will also know them. Such persons scrawl their names 
in such a manner that nobody can read them. In almost any other 
place we can tell from the context what a word is, even if it is in¬ 
distinctly written, but most names need to be written plainly. It 
is not unusual for a business man to spend from five to fifteen min¬ 
utes in trying to decipher an illegible signature, when, if the writer 
had taken five seconds more to sign his name, all this loss of time 
at the other end of the line would have been avoided. We have 
no right thus needlessly to consume the time of others. Resolve 
that you will not treat any one so unjustly. Form the habit of 
signing your name distinctly. 

76. Always sign your name uniformly. It is generally best 
to give the first name in full. Your correspondent may have no 
other means of knowing how to address you, and the first name 
may be necessary to prevent the answer to your letter from going 
to another person. For the same reason, always address every 
correspondent in just the way he signs his own name. 

77. A woman, in writing to a stranger, should sign her name 
so as to indicate not only her sex, but also whether she is single or 
married. If single, she may write the title ‘Miss/ in parenthesis 
before her name, and if married, the title ‘Mrs.’ If she fails in this, 
her correspondent may not know whether to address her as ‘Sir,’ 
‘Miss,’ or ‘Madam.’ A married woman generally uses her hus¬ 
band’s name, or initials; as, ‘Mrs. John Smith,’ ‘Mrs. J. W. Smith,* 
but she should never use her husband’s title, as Mrs. Dr. J. W. 
Smith. She may use her own name, and should do so if she is a 
widow. 

78. Official signature.—A person in an official or prominent 
business position, may follow his name with words denoting his 



30 


LETTER WRITING 


position; as, ‘John Jones, Chairman of Executive Committee;’ ‘L. 
G. Smith, Assistant Cashier,’ etc. 

79. When a letter is to be signed by a corporation the name 
of the corporation should be first written or typewritten in full, 
and under this and following the word “by,” the manager or other 
officer should sign his name with pen and ink, as in model 7. In 
signing his letters, the word “by” may be omitted when the 
writer’s name is followed by the office which he holds; but in 
signing notes, checks, etc., “by” should not be omitted. 

80. A rubber stamp giving a facsimile of the writer’s pen- 
written signature may be used, but its use should be carefully 
guarded, lest it be wrongfully used by some one who is unauthor¬ 
ized. Even a lead pencil signature is legally binding, but for 

manifest reasons it should never be used where the occasion is one 
of serious importance. 

81. Partnership Signature.—In a partnership, each partner 
may sign the firm name, without any qualifying words, thus 
binding all the other partners. 

82. If the name and address are placed at the close of the 
letter, instead of at the beginning, they should be arranged in 
the same manner as when used at the head of the letter. The 
name should be written on the next line below the signature, 
and beginning on the marginal line, the address on the next line 
a little to the right, as in Model 5. 

83. Punctuation. A comma should be placed after the com¬ 
plimentary close, and if it consists of two or more phrases, they 
should be separated by commas, as in Model 5. A period should 

follow the signature, and also any initials that may be used in the 
signature. 

The address when placed at the close of a letter, is punctuated 
in the same manner as when written at the beginning. 




MODELS OF CONCLUSION 


31 


MODELS OF CONCLUSION 


84. The conclusion should be arranged as in one of the 
following Models: 


Model 1 



Model 2 



Model 4 





















32 


LETTER WRITING 


85. If the address is written at the close, it should be as follows: 

Model 5 



86. Sometimes the date only is written in the heading. In such cases 
the post office address should then follow the name, as below: 


Model 6 




87. Let the following conclusions to letters be gracefully 
arranged on the page, allowing about two blank lines between each 
one and the next: 



















EXERCISES IN CONCLUSIONS. 


33 


EXERCISE 3. 

1. With best wishes for your success I am yours very truly Milton T. 
Cornell. 

2. Trusting you will appreciate the value of this advice I am your 
loving father Jno. A. Mills. 

3. Awaiting your prompt remittance we remain respectfully yours Gor¬ 
don, Hyde & Co. 

4. Regretting the necessity of resorting to stringent measures I am 
respectfully John L. Cannon, Attorney for The Columbus Auto Co. 

5. Thanking you in advance for this information we remain Very truly 
yours J. B. Nixon & Son. 

6. Accept my sincere thanks for your timely warning your obt servt 
Howard F. Crosby. 

7. Hoping that our criticism may be received in the kindly spirit in 
which it^s given we are your faithful friends Scott & Dunbar. 

8. Unless you apologize promptly I shall be compelled to consider 
that you are my enemy and I am yours David M. Johnson. 

9. With thanks for your generous offer I am most respectfully Albert 
S. Kingsley. 

EXERCISE 4. 

88. Write the following headings and conclusions, leaving one 
line blank to indicate the body of the letter: 

1. Wilmington del 175 main st 16 march 1912 mesdames Spicer & weston 
milliners union square and east 16th st new york inclosed find check for 

$73.00 in payment of ... awaiting receipted bill 

i remain very respectfully (miss) ada jones. 

2. Office of the tribune publishing co eldorado bldg st paul minn apr 
19 1913 mess howe & Whenson opticians 35 Wisconsin st city gentlemen we 

inclose herewith copy of your last ad . trusting 

you will correct and return same promptly we are respectfully the tribune 
publishing co ira chapman mgr 

3. Clinton park Cincinnati ohio may 22 1914 frank b stevens m d Cov¬ 
ington ky gilson block dear doctor stevens when the druggist filled the last 

prescription . hoping for increased benefit from your 

treatment in the near future i am yours patiently morley a weeker. 

4. Pine crest institute ashley n c june 23 1915 my own dear mother 

i have strictly complied with all your requests regarding. 

with much love to all at home i am dear mother your dutiful daughter 
janyce meredith mrs owen meredith harpers ferry va 110 potomac st 








34 


LETTER WRITING 


FOLDING 

89. The folding of a letter is a simple but important matter, 
and it is just as easy to fold a letter correctly as otherwise. 

90. Letter Paper.—A sheet of letter paper may be folded in 
two ways: first, to fit an ordinary business envelope, and second, 
to fit an official envelope, which is a little longer than the paper is 
wide. 

91. First Method. —The correct way to fold for an envelope 
of the usual size, is to make three folds; one fold to double the 
sheet lengthwise, which brings it within the length of the envelope, 
and two folds crosswise; which bring it within the width ^of the 
envelope. To do this, first, hold the paper as shown in Figure 
1, fold up from the bottom nearly to the upper edge of the paper, 
as in Figure 2, or far enough to fit the envelope lengthwise, and 
then turn the paper as in Figure 3, and fold from the right and 

left edges about equal distances, as 
in Figures 4 and 5, so that the 
sheet, after being folded, is a little 
smaller than the envelope. 

Avoid folding the full width of 
the envelope from the right, thus 
leaving only a very narrow fold 
from the left. It is much better 
to make the folds about equal from 
the right and left edges of the 
paper, leaving the width of the 
envelope in the center. In making 
the first fold, the paper should not be placed exactly even with 
the upper edge, because the sheets might then be much harder to 
separate in unfolding. 






FOLDING 


35 



92. Care should he taken to bring 
the corner of the paper as it is 
folded, to the edge of the sheet, 
where the fingers of the left hand 
should hold it firmly, while the fold 
is creased down with the right 
hand. If the fingers are soiled, use 
an ivory paper knife or other ar¬ 
ticle for creasing down the fold, 
or use the back of the finger nail. 

The fold should be pressed down 
smoothly, but not enough to break 
the paper. The illustrations here given, will make clear the method 
above described. 


93. Second Method .—Since an of¬ 
ficial envelope is a little longer than 
the paper is wide, the folds will need 
to run only in one direction, that is, 
crosswise of the page. To fit an 
official envelope, fold the sheet from 
the bottom up, nearly as far as the 
envelope is wide, then from the top 
down about the same distance, thus 
giving two folds and three thick¬ 
nesses of paper. 

94. Note Paper.—There are three ways in which note paper 
may be folded; First, for the common 
sizes, which are a little narrower than 
the envelope is long, the paper should 
be folded twice; first from the bot¬ 
tom upward a distance a little less 
than the width of the envelope, and 
then from the top downward. The 
paper will then be a litttle smaller 
each way than the envelope. This 
method is illustrated by Figures 3, 4, 
and 5, supposing Figure 3 to repre¬ 
sent a sheet of note paper. From 
that it will be seen that the common sized envelope is related to 







36 


LETTER WRITING 


note paper just as an official envelope is to a sheet of letter paper, 
and the method of folding is, therefore, exactly the same in these 
two cases. 

95. Second , if the envelope is shorter 
than the width of the paper, the latter 
should be given two folds; first, from 
the bottom nearly to the top, and then 
from the right nearly to the left edge 
of the paper; this method of folding 
gives four thicknesses of paper, or eight 
if it be a double sheet at first. It is 
very rarely necessary to use this style 
of folding. 

96. Third, for a square envelope, such as ladies often use, if 
the paper is made to match, as it should be, only one fold is 
necessary, from the bottom to the top, as in Figure 2. 

97. Putting letter into envelope.—There is a right way to do 
this. Take the envelope in the left 
hand with the opening up, and the 
back of the envelope toward you, then 
with the right hand place the letter 
in the envelope, putting in first the 
edge last folded. In this way the 
corners of the paper do not catch on 
the envelope, and the letter, when 
taken out, is right side up when opened. See Figure 6. 

98. Unless there is something to enclose later, it is well to 
form the habit of sealing the envelope as soon as the letter is placed 
therein. Always direct the envelope before inserting the letter. 

THE SUPERSCRIPTION 

99. The superscription (direction upon the envelope), con¬ 
sists of the name and title of the person addressed, and his residence 
or post office address; the latter is usually the same as the inside 
address, and should be written exactly as the correspondent himself 









SUPERSCRIPTION 


37 


writes it. Thus, if his name is John H. Brown, and you address 
him “J. H. Brown,” the letter may go to James H. Brown, or J. 
Howard Brown. The name and address should be plainly written, 
and care taken to put the letter in the right envelope. People have 
been placed in very embarrassing situations, because of carelessness 
in this matter. For instance, a young man has been known to send 
his laundress a letter intended for his sweetheart, and his sweet¬ 
heart a letter begging more time for the payment of his laundry bill. 

100. Titles.—Politeness requires that some title be used on the 
envelope; a professional or official title, if the person has one, and 
if not, a common title; as Mr., Esq., etc. Many business men dis^ 

MODEL 1 



pense with this formality at the present day, to save time. 

101. If a business letter is written to a person acting in an 
official capacity, the office which he holds should be designated in 
the address; as, ‘Wm. C. Brown, Pres, of N. Y. C. R. R. Co.’ 

A list of correct titles to use in addressing various persons in 
prominent positions is given on page 190 to 202. 

102. Residence.—By the residence we mean the full post 
office address. If a person lives in a large city, it includes the num¬ 
ber and street (or post office box), city, and state—as in Models 
2, 3, and 4; if in the country, it means the post office, county and 









38 


LETTER WRITING 


state—as in Model 1. The state is sometimes omitted in writing to 
persons in large and well-known cities, but this is not recommended, 
as there are usually several smaller places in the country by the 
same name, and postal clerks generally look in the right lower cor¬ 
ner first, for the state. They can handle letters with less delay if 
the name of the state is given; and, abbreviating as we do in 
writing them, it takes but an instant to give the name of the 
state. 

103. Arrangement and Position.—The writing should be in 
straight lines, parallel with the upper and lower edges of the 
envelope. The upper edge is the one that opens, and one should 
see that the envelope is right side up when he directs it. 

104. One who has difficulty in getting lines straight and par¬ 
allel with the edges, may rule, with heavy black lines, a sheet of 
paper a little smaller than the envelope, and place it inside of the 
envelope while writing, being careful to remove it before putting in 
the letter. If the envelope is so thick that such lines do not show 
through, the next best plan is to rule very light pencil lines, and 
erase them after the writing is dry. Never line with a pin, or any 
other sharp-pointed instrument; dispense with all aids as soon as 
possible. 

105. The name should be written a little below the middle of 
the envelope, commencing far enough to the left so that the spaces 
on the right and left of it are about equal; each subsequent line in 
the address should commence a little farther to the right than the 
preceding one, and all should be so arranged that the state is 
written near the right lower corner. The relative order for reading 
the parts of an address is as follows: 

For a city address, Name and Title, Number and Street, City, State. 

For a country address , Name and Title, Post Office, County, State. 

106. The county, or number and street may be placed in the 
left lower corner on a line with the state, as in Models 1, 3, and 4; 
and, by having one less line to the right, that part of the address is 
more easily read. The number of the post office box may occupy a 
line following the name, or be written in the left lower corner, as in 
Model 4. 

















SUPERSCRIPTION 


39 



















40 


LETTER WRITING 


107. If a letter is to be delivered in the city in which it is 
written, the word ‘City’ may be used to take the place of the post 
office and state. In such cases the address consists of name, street 
and number, and word ‘City,’ and should occupy three lines as in 
Model 5. 

108. To show due respect to the person in whose care a letter 

is sent or to give proper prominence to official titles, the words 
‘Care of-,’ and such titles as ‘Superintendent of Public In¬ 

struction/ ‘General Passenger Agent Erie Railway/ etc., may be 
written on the line following the name, between that and the post 
office. If the official title is short enough, it may be placed after 
the name, on the same line. 

109. Do not use the word ‘To’ before a name. Omit the 
‘Number/ or the character (/ ) that is sometimes used for it, in 
writing the number of a street. T14 Superior St.’ cannot mean 
anything but No. 114 Superior St., therefore, the ‘No/ or is 
superfluous, and detracts from the distinctness of the address. For 
the same reason write ‘Box 24’ instead of “P. O. Box 24/’ If 
the Post Office Box is not meant the remainder of the address 
will easily indicate the right meaning; thus, in answer to an ad¬ 
vertisement, an address might read, “Box 24, Tribune Office, City.” 

110. The words ‘General Delivery’ or ‘Transient’ should be 
written near the left lower corner of the envelope in addition to 
the regular address of persons staying in a city only temporarily; 
the letter would not then be delivered to a resident of the same 
name. This is an important matter with names of common occur¬ 
rence, as “Brown,” “Jones,” etc. 

111. If a letter is sent by a friend, his name should be written 
in the left lower corner. 

Some urge that the order of addresses here given be reversed, and the 
name of the state be written first, because that is the order in which postal 
employes read the address. We do not believe this is sufficient reason for 
changing a long established custom. If postal clerks know where to look 
for each portion of the address, they can read it as quickly in the form now 
in use, and this style of address certainly has a better appearance on the 
envelope; besides, at the office of delivery the present form gives the order 
in which the parts of the address are read. 




SUPERSCRIPTION 


41 


112. Legibility.—The direction on the envelope should be 
plainly written, especially the state and post office. Some of the 
abbreviations which are used for the names of the states are so 
similar in form, that it is especially important they should be 
written plainly; as, N. N. V., Mo., Me., Neb., Nev. 6,464,870 
pieces of mail matter were sent to the dead letter office in one 
year for various reasons. Of these, 435,416, were misdirected, 
and 18,895 were not directed at all. 

113. Self-directed envelopes.—To save your correspondents 
trouble, and insure accuracy of address, an envelope a size smaller 
than the one in which your letter is sent, and with your own name 
and address printed upon it, may be inclosed. Such envelopes are 
especially useful for enclosing in letters requiring an answer. An 
envelope of the same size may be enclosed by folding it once. 

114. A special request envelope is one with a card giving your 
name and address in the left upper corner, as in Models 2 to 6. This 
card may also indicate your business and serve as an advertisement. 

115. All letters that for any reason are not delivered to the 
person addressed, are sent to the dead letter office, unless they 
have this card on the envelope. If you desire your uncalled-for 
letters returned promptly, this card may be preceded by the clause, 

‘If not called for in- days, return to.’ The special request 

may be written if you do not use printed envelopes. Envelopes 
simply giving your name and address, are supposed to be returned 
in thirty days. 

116. Sealed letters are returned without payment of additional 
•postage, if the envelope bears your name and address. 

117. Packages that appear to the postmaster to have sufficient 
va[ue to warrant it, are returned to the sender if his address is on 
the package. The return postage is then collected at the original 
mailing office. Circulars, catalogues, etc., are returned only when 

their wrapper bears the special request, ‘Please return to -,’ 

etc., and then the return postage is collected as on packages. 

118. Punctuation.—A comma should be used after each part 
of the address, excepting the last, which is followed by a period. 
If a title follows the name, a comma should be used between the 





42 


LETTER WRITING 


name and the title; if two titles are added, place a comma between 
them. A period should follow each abbreviation. A style of 
punctuation has come into use which permits the omission of the 
comma at the end of each line on the envelope, as in Model 4. 
This is recommended, especially in business correspondence, as the 
break from one line to another is sufficient separation. 

119. Capitals.—All important words, and all abbreviations 
should begin with capitals. Ordinarily, every word in the super¬ 
scription is capitalized. 

Notice carefully the arrangement, position, and punctuation of 
the sample envelope addresses given in the accompanying Models. 

120. Write the following superscriptions arranging the parts 
correctly on sheets which are cut, or ruled into forms, the size 
of ordinary business envelopes: 

EXERCISE 5 

1. Mr Robert A. Cameron Sandusky Ohio 

2. Williams & Hutchinson 648 Smithfield St Pittsburg Pa 

3. Mrs John D Richardson Oakland Colorado Co Tex Box 91 

4. Enterprise Mfg Co Chicago Ill 97 State St 

5. Morse & Werner Attys Indianapolis Ind 607-611 Masonic Temple 

6. Messrs Talcott Smith & Hopkins Sacramento Calif 439 Pacific Square 

7. Joseph Iddings Jr Pros. Atty for Hardin Co Elizabethtown Ky 

8. First National Bank Atlanta Ga. 

9. Marshall Field & Co Chicago Ill Introducing Mr Ernest Hart 

10. Mr & Mrs Charles F Boardman Boston Mass 98 N 43rd St Irving 
Park. 

11. Miss Marie Zaner Secy Baptist Union Nashville Tenn 148 Cum¬ 
berland Ave 

12. Rev E R Tamblyn D D St Louis Mo General Delivery 

THE STAMP 

• 121. No domestic letter,— that is, a letter directed to any 
post office in our own country,—will be forwarded until one two- 
cent stamp is placed thereon. If the letter is over-weight and bears 
one two-cent stamp, the Department will collect the remainder of 




THE STAMP 


43 


the postage from the person to whom it is directed. It is always 
better, however, to see that the postage on your letters is fully pre¬ 
paid before they are sent out. If one full rate is not prepaid, the 
writer is notified, if his name can be ascertained; and, if not, the 
person addressed is informed that a letter directed to him is held 
for postage and will be forwarded upon the receipt of the re¬ 
quired amount of postage. 

122. Position.—The stamp should be placed on the right upper 
corner of the envelope, about one-eighth of an inch from the end, 
and the same distance from the upper edge; it should be right side 
up, with the edges parallel with the edges of the envelope. Placing 
a stamp on the envelope at random, is an evidence of carelessness, 
and disrespect for your correspondent. It is just as easy, and takes 
no more time, to put the stamp in the right location. 

123. Amount.—The present rate of postage on letters is two 
cents an ounce, and each fraction thereof; that is, if the letter 
weighs any more than one ounce, it requires more than one stamp. 
An abstract of the latest postal laws in regard to rates, is given on 
page 181 to 185. 


The above Illustration Shows the Correct Location of the Stamp on 
the Envelope. 










44 


LETTER WRITING 


CAPITALS 

124. A common fault, in letters as well as in other kinds of 
composition, is the omission or incorrect use of capital letters. Full 
instruction has been given on the preceding pages as to the capitali¬ 
zation of the heading, introduction, close, and superscription, and 
the following rules will enable any one to avoid errors in the body 
of a letter. Careful observation of the use of capitals in standard 
books and papers is also an excellent way to learn the correct use of 
capitals. It is allowable and customary, in writing sums of money, 
especially in the body of a check, draft, or note, to use capitals to 
begin every word expressive of amount; as, ‘One Thousand Four 
Hundred Seventy-five Dollars.’ It is also allowable to capitalize 
important words in headings, advertisements, or titles of books. 


RULES FOR THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS 


Capital Letters should be used to begin: 

125. Every sentence and every line of poetry. 

126. Every quotation forming a sentence; as, 

Pope says, “Hope dwells eternal in the human breast.” 

127. All words denoting the Deity and words meaning Heaven; as, 

‘Trust in Providence,’ ‘Christ,’ ‘Son of God,’ ‘Paradise.’ It is also well to 

capitalize all personal pronouns referring to the Deity; as, ‘Trust in Him and 
He will give you strength.’ 

128. The names of persons and places, and all other proper nouns 
and titles; as, 

‘Ben Hur was written by Gen’l Lew Wallace, of Crawfordsville, Ind.’ 

The words street, road, lake, river, mountain, should begin with capitals 
when used in connection with proper names in directing letters, etc. 

Words denoting family relations, such as father, mother, sister, brother, 
cousin, aunt, should not be capitalized,—except when preceding the name, or 
as a substitute for the name, as in direct address or signature. 

129. Names of city, county, state and national official bodies, depart¬ 
ments of the government, and official titles of public officers, when these 
titles precede the name of the officer; as, 



CAPITALS 


45 


City Council, Infirmary Directors, State Legislature, Interior Depart¬ 
ment ; Minister to Russia, Governor Harmon, Mayor Gaynor, Sheriff McKee, 
Justice Newton, Clerk Jones, etc. In speaking of a sheriff, a constable, a 
policeman, a justice of the peace, a mayor, etc., without the name, these 
words should not be capitalized. 

130. Names of all organized bodies, companies, and political organi¬ 
zations; as, 

The Odd Fellows, The Practical Text Book Co., National Guard. The 
official names of officers of societies and of railroads (president, secretary, 
etc.) should not be capitalized unless immediately preceding a name. 

131. Proper adjectives, the names of all religious sects, all political 
parties, and adjectives or verbs derived from them; as, 

The American people; Baptist; Republican; the Congregational church; 
the Republican party; Americanize. 

132. Names of peoples and languages; as, 

French, English, Chinese, American, Latin, Hebrew, Greek. 

133. Names of things spoken of as persons, and of especially im¬ 
portant things, events, or bodies of men; as, 

“Upon this, Fancy began to bestir herself;” Declaration of Independence; 
the Reformation; National Republican Convention. 

134. Names of months, days of the week, holidays, and names of 
streets. 

Names of the seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter) should not begin 
with capitals, unless they are personified. 

135. The pronoun I, and interjection O should be capitalized. 

0 should be used in direct address, and oh in expressions of pain, pleas¬ 
ure surprise. The latter should not be capitalized unless it begins a sentence. 

136. Words denoting certain regions; as, 

Transatlantic, the North, the South, the East, the West, and their corre¬ 
sponding adjectives, when applied to divisions of a country; as, the North of 
Africa, Southern Ohio, Pacific Coast. When these words refer merely to 
points of the compass, they should not be capitalized; as, He lives west of 

here.’ 

137. The words State and Territory where referring to one of the 
United States; as, 

State of Ohio; Alaska Territory. 

These words should not be capitalized in ‘church and state,’ ‘state rights,’ 
‘territorial government,’ and similar expressions. 





46 


LETTER WRITING 


138. Words used to indicate the Bible directly; as, 

The Scriptures, Gospel of Luke, etc., but not in “to preach the gospel,” 
“scriptural doctrines,” etc. 

139. Names of important buildings and localities; as, 

The Public Library; the High School; Central Market; the Penitentiary, 
when used as proper names; but not jail, prison, or post office, as commonly 
spoken of in a general sense; nor high school, penitentiary, etc., when used 
in a general way; as, ‘our high schools are improving.’ 


PUNCTUATION 

140. Punctuation (from the Latin Punctum , a point) is the 
art of dividing written composition by means of points to make it 
correctly express the desired meaning. Punctuation was not gen¬ 
erally known until about 1600 A. D., after the invention of the 
art of printing. Punctuation cannot be made a merely mechanical 
process, and it is hardly possible to give rules that will apply in all 
cases. Intelligent punctuation is possible only to those who under¬ 
stand analysis of sentences. 

The correct punctuation of the heading, introduction, and close 
of letters is given in the chapters devoted to those subjects and in 
the models. The instruction following will enable any one to 
punctuate correctly the body of the letter, or other composition. 

141. Should not be neglected. —Some persons write so care¬ 
lessly and hurriedly that they neglect almost entirely the use of 
punctuation marks. Letters, as well as other written documents, 
should be carefully punctuated. If the punctuation is omitted, or 
incorrectly done, the meaning of a sentence is often entirely 
changed. 

142. Importance. —The importance of the subject makes it 
worthy of careful study and practice, by any one who would write a 
good and intelligible letter. Sometimes serious or ludicrous mis¬ 
takes occur by the careless misplacing or omission of punctuation 
marks. 




PUNCTUATION 


47 


John Quincy Adams once gained a law suit involving $50,000, the decision 
of which turned on the position of a comma. 

The Tariff Act passed by the XLIId Congress provided that fruit plants, 
and certain other commodities, should be admitted free of duty. In engross¬ 
ing or printing the Act, a comma was inserted between fruit and plants, con¬ 
sequently, “all fruits,” and “all plants” were put upon the “free list,” and this 
mistake, (if mistake it was) cost the United States about $2,000,000. A special 
Act of Congress was necessary to get rid of that comma. 

A toast at a public dinner was, “Woman; without her, man would be a 
savage.” The next day it appeared in print, “Woman, without her man, 
would be a savage.” 

The following notice was once read in church: “John Brown having gone 
to sea (see) his wife, desires the prayers of the congregation in his behalf.” 
The comma should have been placed after the word sea. 

Even the part of speech may be altered by the punctuation. Thus: 

1. The weather was still cold and cloudy. 

2. The weather was still, cold, and cloudy. 

In (1) “still” is an adverb meaning yet. 

In (2) “still” is an adjective meaning calm. 

Punctuate the following lines so as to make them express facts: 

Every lady in the land 
Has twenty nails upon each hand 
Five and twenty on hands and feet 
All this is true without deceit. 

AN EPITAPH—PUNCTUATE TO SUIT. 

He is an old and experienced man in vice and wickedness he is never 
found opposing the works of iniquity he takes delight in the downfall of his 
neighbors he never rejoices in the prosperity of any of his fellow creatures 
he is always ready to assist in destroying the peace of society he takes no 
pleasure in serving the Lord he is uncommonly diligent in sowing discord 
among his friends and acquaintances he takes no pride in laboring to promote 
the cause of Christianity he has not been negligent in endeavoring to stigma¬ 
tize all public teachers he makes no exertions to subdue his evil passions he 
strives hard to build up Satan’s kingdom he lends no aid to the support of 
the Gospel among the heathen he contributes largely to the evil adversary he 
pays no attention to good advice he gives great heed to the devil he will 
never go to heaven he must go where he will receive the just recompense of 
his reward. 



48 


LETTER WRITING 


RULES FOR PUNCTUATION 


PUNCTUATION MARKS 

143. The following are the marks used in punctuating: 


Comma (,) 

Marks of Parenthesis ( ) 
Dash (—) 

Brackets [ ] 

Semicolon (;) 


Colon (:) 

Period (.) 
Interrogation (?) 
Exclamation (!) 
Quotation Marks (“ ”) 


144. In this work, the aim has been to give only those rules 
that will be found of practical every-day use. The frequency of 
the comma as a mark of punctuation, and the variety of its uses, 
make it advisable to formulate a series of rules under which those 
uses may be grouped. 

145. The Comma indicates the slightest degree of separation 
between the parts of a sentence. 

146. RULE 1.—Introductory words, attendant elements, interme¬ 
diate expressions, and parenthetical words and phrases, should be sepa¬ 
rated from the rest of the sentence by commas. 

Note 1.—With the “introductory words” may be classed those words 
that are “independent by direct address;” as, Mr. Smith, can you come? 
You, sir, are the man. Come, Henry. Also such words as yes, no, first, 
second, therefore, however, when used merely to introduce a statement. 
The introductory words, that, it, and there, and the introductory conjunc¬ 
tions, as, since, though, etc., do not come under this rule. 

Note 2. —Attendant Elements. These are constructions in which the noun 
is sometimes said to be independent with the participle, one of the “absolute” 
constructions; as, ‘The sun having set, we returned.’ 

(a) when the pleonastic use of a word is more formal, being used as a 
title or as the subject of a discourse, it is followed by the colon; as, “Heaven: 
What is It and Where is It?” 

Note 3.— Parenthetical words and phrases are those not essential to the 
meaning of the sentence in which they stand. Examples: “I will, however, 
keep the matter in mind.” “We are, in fact, only beginning to feel its effects 
upon our business.” 

The following list contains those words and phrases most commonly used 
in a parenthetical way: therefore, then, however, perhaps, namely, indeed, 
too, surely, finally, moreover, accordingly, nevertheless, in short, in fact, in 



RULES FOR PUNCTUATION 


49 


fine, in truth, in reality, in brief, in a word, so to speak, no doubt, to be brief, 
to be sure, after all, of course, in the first place, in the second place, etc. 

Note 4.— Intermediate expressions are clauses and expressions not exactly 
parenthetical in character, yet so placed as to come between some of the essen¬ 
tial parts of a sentence; as, for instance, between the subject and predicate. 
Example: “Truth, like gold, shines brighter by collision.” Under this head 
may be placed those constructions known as “nouns in apposition,” or 
“explanatory modifiers,” which, together with their modifiers, should be 
separated from the rest of the sentence by commas; as, “Paul, the great 
apostle, was a man of energy.” When the noun in apposition is unmodified 
or closely connected, no comma is required; as, “Paul the apostle preached 
to the Gentiles.” Titles following names are a'ppositive, and should be sepa¬ 
rated from the name, and (in case of more than one title) from each other 
by commas; as, James Hill, Esq.; Rev. Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D. 

147. RULE 2.—Words, phrases, and clauses, forming a series and 
having the same construction, should be separated from each other by 
commas, unless all the conjunctions are given. 

This rule has a variety of applications which, for convenience, may be 
examined under the following heads: 

148. Words.—Words forming a series admit the four following cases: 

(a) When a conjunction is used to connect each word with the next, no 
commas are required; as, “Industry and honesty and temperance and fru¬ 
gality are among the cardinal virtues.” 

( b ) When all the conjunctions but the last are omitted, a comma should 
be placed after each of the words excepting the last one; as, Industry, hon¬ 
esty, temperance, and frugality are among the cardinal virtues.” 

( c ) All the conjunctions may be omitted, in which case commas should 
be used instead, and a comma should be placed after the last word in the 
series, to separate it from what follows; as, “Industry, honesty, temperance, 
frugality, are among the cardinal virtues.” 

( d ) When there are an even number of words, four or more, each alter¬ 
nate conjunction may be omitted, leaving the words in pairs; as, “Industry 
and honesty, temperance and frugality, are among the cardinal virtues.” 

149. Modified Words and Phrases.—Expressions consisting of phrases 
or principal words and their modifiers, when forming a series, admit the 
four cases given above for single words. 

Examples: Pure thoughts, good deeds, and noble aspirations elevate a 
man. Love for study, a desire to do right, and carefulness in choosing our 
companions are important traits of character. 

150. Co-ordinate Clauses.—Simple co-ordinate members of a com- 




50 


LETTER WRITING 


pound sentence, closely connected in thought, admit cases ( b ) and ( c ) for 
words, and should be punctuated accordingly. 

Example: Speak as you mean, do as you profess, and perform what you 
promise in order to sustain your reputation. Or, Speak as you mean, do as 
you profess, perform what you promise, in order to sustain your reputation. 

151. RULE 3.—Inverted phrases and clauses, and phrases and 
clauses not closely connected with the words they modify, should be 
separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. 

Note 1.—An “inverted” phrase or clause is a part of the predicate used 
at the beginning of a sentence instead of following the word it modifies: 
thus, “To supply the deficiency, he resorted to a shameful trick.” In this 
sentence, To supply the deficiency modifies “trick,” and if it followed that 
word, no comma would be required. 

All sentences beginning with subordinate conjunctions contain inverted 
clauses. The most common are those beginning with if or when; as, “If you 
are in a hurry, you need not wait for us.” “When a man ceases to go' up, 
he begins to go down.” 

Remark—There is less need of the commas called for by this rule than 
by any other, and some good writers now omit them, unless the conditional 
clause beginning with if, when, etc. is intermediate, or so placed that the 
omission of the comma might affect the sense, as in the Epitaph under 
paragraph 142. 

Note 2.—It is not always possible to place phrases and clauses next the 
words they limit, for the reason that two or more phrases or clauses may 
modify the same word. Phrases and clauses that are thus separated from 
their antecedent words should be preceded by a comma. When a phrase or a 
clause is the antecedent of a relative pronoun, the pronoun should be pre¬ 
ceded by a comma. For example. They met in the hall, at three o’clock, to 
do the work.’ “Give me liberty or give me death,” which are the words of 
Patrick Henry, is a familiar quotation. 

152. RULE 4.—The omission of a verb in a sentence or clause 
should be indicated by a comma. 

Note.—This omission of the verb is what is known as “ellipsis,” and may 
occur in two ways: 1. For emphasis, or mere rhetorical effect in short sen¬ 
tences; 2. By giving it in the first of a series of brief sentences and omitting 
it in the rest of them to avoid repetition. Examples: England’s friend, 
Ireland’s foe. (Meaning, “England’s friend is Ireland’s foe.”) “Reading 
maketh a full man; conference, a ready man; writing, an exact man.” 

153. RULE 5.—In dating, addressing, and directing letters, if two 
or more items occupy the same line, they should be separated from each 
other by commas. 





■//S0 ' ££ - 





































' 

































































































RULES FOR PUNCTUATION 


51 


This rule is illustrated by the following models: 


Miss Ida A. Irwin, 

Newtown, Conn. 


Argos, Ind., Ian. 8 , 1912 . 


Note.—The “items” in the date line are: 1. Post office; 2. County (if 
the place be small); 3. State; 4. Month and day; 5. Year. When one of 
these items is abbreviated (as is often the case with the state and month), 
both a period and a comma should be used, the former for the abbreviation 
and the latter because it belongs there when the word is written in full. 

154. RULE 6.—Short quotations should be preceded by a comma, 
if they make complete sense. 

Example: His last words were, “Don’t give up the ship.” 

155. RULE 7.—Commas are used to separate the figures of large 
numbers into periods of three figures each. 

Examples: $36,578; 9,235,768; 3,536,847.91. 

156. RULE 8.—The adjective clause, when it is not restrictive, 
should be set off by a comma. 

Examples: I saw the man who was hurt, (restrictive) I saw John Lane, 
who was sick, (non-restrictive) 

Note.—In the first example, the clause “ who was hurt,” points out a 
particular man, and thus restricts or limits. In the second example, the 
language implies, and the punctuation shows, that we are supposed to know 
John Lane, and that the following clause is not required to distinguish this 
John Lane from some other John Lane. So, an adjective clause is restrictive 
when it is used to point out clearly one name from a class of similar names; 
as, one apple from many apples; one man from many men, etc. 

157. RULE 9.—Adverb clauses, unless they closely follow and re¬ 
strict the word they modify, should be set off by commas. 

Examples: ‘Glass bends easily when it is hot/ (Follows and restricts.) 
‘I will not say he is a fool, because it would be too uncomplimentary.’ (Fol¬ 
lows, but does not restrict.) ‘When you come, I will go.’ (Restricts, but it 
does not follow.) 

158. RULE 10.—The members of a compound sentence, when short 
and closely connected, are separated by commas. 

Example: ‘Poverty may not be dishonorable, but it is very inconven¬ 
ient.’ [See Note 3, under Rule 2.] 

159. RULE 11.—The members of a compound predicate, if long, 
and especially, if differently modified, are separated by commas. 

Example: ‘Washington fortified Dorchester Heights, and drove Howe 
from Boston.’ 





52 


LETTER WRITING 


Remark.—Their use being similar to the parenthetical use of the comma, 
the dash, marks of parenthesis, and brackets are introduced at this point. 

160. The dash.—Dashes are used: 

1. When the parenthetical expression has not so close a connection with 
the rest of the sentence as would be indicated by commas; as, ‘The statement 
may be true—I am not prepared to dispute it—that he is guilty.’ 

2. When there is a sudden break or transition in the thought; as, ‘In the 
next place—but I will not discuss the matter further.’ 

3. To mark the omission of letters or figures; as, Mrs. W-n. The 

city of C-d. Matthew ix :1-14. Pages 48-52. 1776-79. 

4. After as, namely, etc., when the enumeration or statement thus intro¬ 
duced begins on the next line. Where there is a series of illustrations, and 
it is desired to make the connection closer, the comma may be used, as 
shown in the illustrations of Rules for Capital Letters, pages 44 and 45. 

5. To separate the name of an author from an extract from his writ¬ 
ings; as— 

The man that blushes is not quite a brute.— Young. 

Remark.—Many persons, being ignorant of the rules for punctuating, 
make a weak effort to conceal their ignorance by throwing dashes into their 
writing in an indiscriminate way. This habit is to be condemned, and young 
writers, particularly, should guard against it. 

161. Marks of Parenthesis are used to enclose explanatory 
words, or expressions having little or no connection with the rest 
of the sentence. 

Note.—“If a point would be required between the parts of a sentence, in 
case no parenthesis were there, then, when the parenthesis is inserted, said 
point should be inserted also, and should be placed after the second mark of 
parenthesis; as, ‘Pride, in some disguise or other, is the most ordinary spring 
of action.’ Pride, in some disguise or other (often a secret to the proud man 
himself), is the most ordinary spring of action.’ If the parenthetical part 
requires, at the end, a point of its own, this point should come inside of the 
last mark of parenthesis, and the point belonging to the main sentence should 
come before the first mark of parenthesis; as, ‘While the Christian desires 
the approbation of his fellow-men, (and why should he not desire it?) he 
disdains to obtain their good-will by dishonorable means.’ “Say not in thine 
heart, ‘Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from 
above;) or, who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ 
again from the dead;) but what saith it?”’ [This applies to points used in 
connection with the dash and brackets. — Hart’s Rhetoric. 



RULES FOR PUNCTUATION 


53 


(a) One frequent use of the marks of parenthesis is to enclose figures 
and letters referring to a note, rule, paragraph, section, remark, or page, to 
which attention is called. 

( b ) Marks of parenthesis are used to enclose an amount or number in 
figures, when it is also written in words. 

Examples: Ship us twenty (20) bushels of apples by freight. Enclosed 
find twenty dollars ($20) to apply on account. 

162. Brackets are similar to marks of parenthesis, but are 
restricted in their use to enclose matter that is independent of the 
sentence in which it occurs; such as interpolations, notes, correc¬ 
tions, or explanations, made by authors in quoting from others, 
and by editors, when they introduce words of their own into matter 
furnished by contributors. 

163. A semicolon should be used: 

1. Just before such words as namely, as, thus, viz., i. e., introducing an 
illustration or enumeration. 

Example: The word “knowledge/' strictly employed, implies three 

things; namely, truth, proof, and conviction. 

When the words following one of these expressions are thrown into the 
body of a sentence, in a parenthetical way, no semicolon is required. [See 
Note 3, Rule 1, for comma.] 

2. After each item in a series of specific statements; as, for instance, a 
list of articles where prices or qualifying expressions are used; names of 
authors of their works; dates or any list of numbers intended to be taken 
separately. 

Example: We quote the following prices: No. 2, $1.00; fair to medium, 
90 cts.; No. 3, dull at 80 cts.; poorer grades not in demand. 

3. To separate closely connected simple sentences when the conjunction 
is omitted; to separate the members of compound sentences when one 
or more of the members contain commas, especially when the commas indi¬ 
cate the omission of the verb. This rule itself furnishes an illustration. 

164. The colon should be used: 

1. Between figures designating hours and minutes; as, 9:10 A.M.; 7:45 P. M. 

2. After the salutation at the beginning of a letter; as, Sir:, Gentle¬ 
men: In such cases, it is often followed by a dash. 

3. Before an enumeration of articles or parts introduced by such expres¬ 
sions as “the following,” “as follows” (or ‘as follow’) ; also after the word 
“Example,” when capitalized. 



54 


LETTER WRITING 


4. After a formal introduction to a speech, or lengthy quotation; as, His 
reply was this: “America has millions for defense but not one cent for 
tribute.” 

Note.—Formerly the colon was used in the following ways: 1. To sep¬ 
arate closely connected sentences; 2. To separate from a sentence, complete 
in itself, an additional clause of inference or explanation, the connecting 
word (usually for, but, or yet ) being omitted; as,—Apply yourself to study 
[for]: it will redound to your honor. 3. To divide long sentences whose 
members themselves were separated by semicolons. [For examples of first 
and third uses, see Twenty-third Psalm.] These uses of the colon are not 
regarded now, except by very careful writers in the higher types of litera¬ 
ture. In ordinary writing, the semicolon has taken the place of the colon in 
the first and second uses mentioned above (the connecting word being used) ; 
while the period has taken its place in the third, making two sentences 
instead of one. 

165. The period should be used in the following places: 

1. At the close of all assertive and imperative sentences. 

2. After all abbreviations; as, Co., Mass., Dr., Mdse., U. S. A. 

3. As a decimal point, and after the denominations of Sterling money* 
as, $4.50; $35,627.89; £19. 3s. 4d. 

4. After letters used as numerals, and after figures used to number para¬ 
graphs, notes, remarks, questions, or any list of particulars; as, (IX.), (Rule 
1.), (See § 10.), (Remark 3, p. 16.), (p. 4, Vol. 2.). 

5. After headings and titles, and after dates and signatures to letters 
and other documents; also at the close of the address at the beginning of a 
letter, and after the last item in the direction on the envelope or package. 

166. The interrogation is used at the close of a question: 

Examples: Can you come to see us? When were the goods shipped? 

Note 1. An interrogation should be used after an interrogative phrase 

or clause that is repeated in the body of a declarative sentence; as, “The 
question, ‘What do we live for?’ is a solemn one.” [This applies also’to the 
mark of exclamation.] 

Note 2.—Usually, the interrogation is equivalent to a period, but not 
always. Sometimes the interrogative clause occurs in the middle of a sen¬ 
tence, while at other times the sentence is composed of a series of questions, 
so that the interrogation may be equivalent to a comma or semicolon. It is 
important that the writer should know to what the interrogation is equivalent, 
as upon this depends whether the next word shall begin with a capital! 
The way to determine this is to change the question into declarative form. 
If, by doing this, the questions are resolved into independent statements, the 
interrogation is equivalent to a period; but if the expressions appear as a 



RULES FOR PUNCTUATION 


55 


series of phrases or clauses, requiring the comma or semicolon for their 
punctuation, the interrogation is equivalent to one or the other of these 
marks, and the next word should not begin with a capital. 

Examples: 1. Shall a man gain the favor of heaven by impiety? by 
falsehood? by murder? by theft? Declaratively: A man can not obtain the 
favor of heaven by impiety, by falsehood, by murder, by theft. (Equivalent 
to commas.) 

2. Who will heed his absurd claim? who will be influenced by his mis¬ 
representations? Declaratively: No one will heed his absurd claim; no one 
will be influenced by his misrepresentations. (Equivalent to the semicolon.) 

167. The exclamation is used after words,^ phrases, or sen¬ 
tences expressing strong emotion. 

Examples: O Absalom! O God! O my child! Alas! I am undone. 
Oh, where shall rest be found! Oh! Where shall rest be found? 

168. Quotation marks are used to show that the words en¬ 
closed by them are the exact words of another writer or speaker. 

Note i—When one quotation is contained within another, it should be 
indicated by single marks. Should the contained quotation come at the end 
of the sentence, three apostrophies should be used after it. 

Examples: He began by saying, “The old proverb, ‘Well begun is half 
done/ contains an important truth.” The speaker replied, “In the words of 
the immortal Lawrence, I would say, ‘Don’t give up the ship.’” 

Note 2.—A period, colon, semicolon, or comma after the last word of a 
quotation is placed before the quotation marks. Other punctuation marks 
are placed before the quotation marks if they are part of the quotation, and 
after them if they are used to punctuate the sentence. 

OTHER MARKS USED IN WRITING AND PRINTING. 

169. The apostrophe is used: 

1. To mark the omission of a letter or syllable; as, o’er, ne’er, ’tis, 
they’ll. 

2. To mark the omission of the century in dates; as ’09, T2. 

3. With the s to indicate the plural of a letter, figure, or sign; as, 
6’s, b’s. 

There is good authority for the use of either of the following rules. 
Learn one, and then use it always. 

4. To show possession, add the apostrophe and s to all nouns that do not 
end in to nouns ending in add the apostrophe only; as, cord’s length; 




56 


LETTER WRITING 


hat’s rim; hats’ rims (more than one hat); James’ lesson; Moses’ life, etc.; 
or, 

5. To show possession, add the apostrophe and s to all nouns except 
plurals that end in s; as cord’s length; hat’s rim; hats’ rims; James’s lesson; 
Moses’s life, etc. 

170. The hyphen is used between the parts of compound 
words, and at the end of a line to indicate that a word is divided. 

It is not always easy to decide whether the hyphen should be 
used to indicate the compounding of two words. The following 
directions are abridged from an article written by a practical printer, 
and published in the National Educator: 

1. When two nouns come together and the second one implies the act of 
containing the first, a hyphen is used to connect them; thus, wood-box, paper- 
box, glass-box, ice-house; when, however, the first noun indicates tne ma¬ 
terial of which the second is made, no hyphen should be used; as, wood box, 
paper box, glass box, ice house. Notice the difference between wood-box 
(a box to contain wood) and wood box (a box made of wood). 

2. When two adjectives stand before a noun and the first one belongs 
rather to the second than to the noun itself, the hyphen should be used be¬ 
tween the adjectives; as, red-haired boy, eight-day clocks, ten-cer.t toys, six- 
inch wheels. The omission of the hyphen from these words changes the 
meaning to a red boy with hair, eight clocks each running one day, ten toys 
each worth one cent, six wheels each one inch in size, etc. 

3. Sometimes two words of the same part-of-speech are connected by 
the word and, the three forming an adjective; thus, up-and-down motion, 
cut-and-slash fury. If the two adjectives qualify the noun equally, no 
hyphen is necessary. If we speak of a shipping-case, for instance, we use 
a hyphen, and so in retailing-case; but if both words, “shipping and retail¬ 
ing,” come before the word “case/ no hyphen should be used; as, shipping 
and retailing case. 

4. A participial adjective coming before a noun, indicating the general or 
habitual use of the noun, should have a hyphen; as, printing-press, sewing- 
machine. A printing press is a press which is just now printing, but a 
printing-press is used for printing in general, though at this instant it may 
be perfectly still. So with writing machine, writing-machine, etc. 

171. To the above may be added the following specific state¬ 
ments : 

1. Two numerals expressing a compound number should be united by a 
hyphen; as twenty-one, thirty-six, etc. 



RULES FOR PUNCTUATION 


$7 


2. The word “fold,” when annexed to a numeral of more than one 
syllable, is separated from it by a hyphen; as, twenty-fold, sixty-fold, etc., 
but if the numeral has but one syllable, no hyphen is used; as, twofold, 
fourfold. 

3. When fractions are expressed in words instead of figures, a hyphen 
should separate the two parts; as, one-half, three-fourths, etc. 

4. The words “half” and “quarter,” when prefixed to a noun, should be 
* separated from it by a hyphen; as, half-dollar, quarter-pound, etc. 

5. A phrase used as an epithet or as a modifier is compounded, and the 
hyphen used; as, a ‘never-to-be-forgotten’ event; a ‘flower-bedecked’ mead¬ 
ow, an T-am-surprised’ expression of countenance, an ‘up-to-date’ book. 

6. When compounds are formed by the union of a possessive and the 
noun limited, if the meaning is literal, both possessive sign and the hyphen 
disappear; thus, tradesmen, doomsday, ratsbane. When these same terms 
have not a literal meaning, as hound’s-tongue, bear’s-foot, or wolf’s-bane,— 
names of plants, both possessive sign and hyphen are retained. 

7. When the compound term is used as an adjective, both the possessive 
sign and the hyphen are retained, as in the expressions, ‘a camel’s-hair 
shawl,’ ‘neat’s-foot oil,’ ‘a bird’s-eye view.’ 

8. Prefixes, or similar parts, are not consolidated with the rest of the 
word if they stand before a capital letter. The hyphen is used to separate 
them; thus, pre-Adamite, ex-President, Anglo-Saxon, anti-Democratic. 

9. The hyphen is used also to preserve the separate sense of the parts of 
a compound term, as in electro-magnetism, vice-admiral, hydro-carbon. 

10. The words today, tonight, and tomorrow are written, in the leading 
dictionaries, both with and without the hyphen. But the tendency, in practice, 
is to drop it, and we recommend that these words be written without a 
hyphen. 

11. Usually, though not always, when two words are compounded, and 
each one retains its original accent, a hyphen should be used; as, snow-shoe, 
All-wise, town-hall; but if the accent of one of the words be dropped, the 
hyphen should be omitted; as, railway, bookkeeper, typewriter. 

In dividing words at the end of a line, care should be taken that the 
division is strictly according to syllables; that is, never write part of a syllable 
at the end of a line and the remainder at the beginning of the next line. 
Never place the first syllable of a word at the end of a line, when that 
syllable contains but one letter; neither should the last syllable, when it 
consists of but a single letter, be placed at the beginning of the next line. 
This last rule includes final syllables of two letters when one of the letters 
is silent; as, burned, buckle. 



58 


LETTER WRITING 


172. The caret is used to mark the omission of a letter, a 
word, or a number of words. The omitted part is generally written 
above and the caret shows where it should be inserted. Examples: 
s sent 

It was an omision. I had just a telegram to him. 

A A 

of your firm 

If it be not contrary to the rules please ship the goods by express, sub- • 
ject to inspection. A 

Remark.—The examples above fully illustrate the use of the caret, but 


all short manuscripts should be rewritten to supply omissions. 

173. Marks of ellipsis.—Sometimes a long dash (-), or 

a succession of stars (******), or of points (.), are 


used to indicate the omission of a portion of a sentence or dis¬ 
course. “Leaders” are a succession of dots, used to carry the eye 
to something printed at a greater or less distance to the right. 

174. Marks of reference are such as the asterisk (*), the dag¬ 
ger (f), section (§), parallel lines (||), etc., used to call attention 
to some note or remark in the margin, at the bottom of the page, or 
end of the chapter. 

The chief aim of punctuation is to unfold the meaning of sentences with 
the least trouble to the reader. It aids the delivery only in so far as it 
tends to bring out the sense of the writer to the best advantage.— Wilson. 

The principles of punctuation are subtle, and an exact, logical training is 
requisite for the just application of them.— G. P. Marsh, Lectures on English 
Language. 





THE RIGHT WORD 


59 


THE RIGHT WORD 


How forcible are right words!— Job. 

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.— Solomon. 

Accustom yourself to reflect upon the words you use, hear, or read; their 
birth, derivation, and history. For, if words are not things, they are living 
powers, by which the things of most importance to mankind are actuated, 
combined, and harmonized.— Coleridge. 

Language and thought are inseparable. Words without thought are dead 
sounds; thoughts without words are nothing. To think is to speak low; to 
speak is to think aloud. The word is the thought incarnate.— Max Muller. 

In every relation of life, at every moment of our active being, in every 
thing we think or do, it is on the meaning and inflection of a word that the 
direction of our thoughts, and the expression of our will, turn. The sound¬ 
ness of our reasonings, the clearness of our belief and of our judgment, the 
influence we exert upon others, and the manner in which we are impressed 
by our fellow men,—all depend upon a knowledge of the value of words.— 
William Matthews. 


DICTION AND STYLE 

175. DICTION pertains to the choice of words to express 
thought, and includes Purity, Propriety, and Precision. 

176. Purity of Diction requires the avoidance of Foreign 
words, Obsolete words, words wrongly derived, Slang words or 
phrases,—in short, words which, for any reason, are not good 
English. 

177. Propriety requires the avoidance of technical words, 
profane or vulgar words, or other words which, for any reason, 
are not appropriate to the time, place, and sentiment. Slang is 
also an offense against Propriety. A recent writer says: Slang is 
the medium of communication between persons who have nothing 
important to say and other persons who wouldn’t care to listen to 
anything important. 

178. Precision requires the use of such words as mean no 
less, no more, and no other than the meaning intended. 




60 


/ 

LETTER WRITING 1 


179. STYLE is a quality of the whole sentence or composition. 
One’s style of language may be forcible or weak, clear or obscure, 
plain or florid, terse or prolix, modern or archaic, serious or face¬ 
tious, etc. There are many qualities of Style not necessary to 
be considered in letter writing. One, however, which cannot be 
too strongly emphasized, is Clearness. 

180. Clearness, formerly called perspicuity, requires such 
a statement of thought that it not only can be understood, but that 
it cannot be misunderstood. 

181. Specific Errors.—There are several specific violations of 
Diction and Style. Thus: 

182. Barbarism formerly meant any word which was 
wrongly derived; as “cablegram,” which is a Latin root with a Greek 
suffix; but the word barbarism is now used to include all words 
which, for any reason, are not correct or appropriate for general 
use. Any offense against Purity, Propriety, or Precision is a 
Barbarism. 

183. Solecism is a wrong combination of words, and usual¬ 
ly affects Style rather than Diction. Many errors in grammar and 
syntax are Solecisms. Cant phrases also belong to this class. 

184. Ambiguity is a statement of thought which can be 
construed in two or more different ways. It is an offense against 
Clearness. 

185. Pleonasm, Tautology.—These terms apply to a com¬ 
position which contains much repetition of thought,—the same ideas 
expressed again and again in different ways. 

186. Redundancy.—When a single word is used in a super¬ 
fluous manner it is called Redundant or Superfluous. “Redundant” 
is the better term to use, because “superfluous” applies to many 
things besides words. 

187. Repetition.—There are many instances in which Repeti¬ 
tion is not a fault. Thus, in legal documents such expressions as 
“give, grant, bargain, sell and convey” are correct in the connection 
in which they are used. In teaching it is often necessary to express 
the same idea in many ways for purposes of explanation, and ease 



THE RIGHT WORD 


61 


of comprehension. No charge of Pleonasm or Tautology can be 
sustained in such cases. The free use of explanatory repetition pro¬ 
duces what is called a Didactic Style. 

188. Verbosity means a pleonastic or tautological style, 
and refers to the whole address; not merely to an occasional pas¬ 
sage. 

189. Equivocation is akin to Ambiguity, but is the intentional 
use of an expression which can be construed to be favorable or 
unfavorable. 

See, also, Invention, Style, and Diction on page 92. 

190. The Right Word in the Right Place.—The following 
list is composed of words commonly misused in one or another of 
the ways above mentioned. Many are misapplied from being simi¬ 
lar in form or pronunciation, others fail to express the thought 
clearly, and some are wholly incorrect forms. “The right word 
in the right place” implies something more than avoiding the use 
of the wrong word. It involves a careful choice from words 
usually, but erroneously, regarded as synonyms. In reality there 
are but few absolute synonyms in our language. Each word has 
some shade of meaning which cannot be exactly expressed by any 
other word. To enable a student to recognize these common errors, 
this list should be carefully studied, and reference made to it as 
often as necessary to insure correct Diction. The list might be 
studied and recited in lessons of about fifty words each, discussing 
more fully the words which the teacher regards the more important. 
Then, for review, assign about ten of these words with each of the 
lessons following until the whole list has been covered again. From 
three to five minutes spent on this subject every day will serve to 
keep it constantly in mind, and it is only by constant and unre¬ 
mitting attention that The Right Word will suggest itself before 
the wrong one is used. 

191. A or an.— The choice between these forms is determined by sound. 
Before a consonant sound a is used; before a vowel sound an is used. A 
should be repeated before a series of adjectives unless applied to only one 
thing; as, “A red and white cap” means only one cap. “A red and a white 
cap” means two caps, one red, the other white. A should be omitted in such 
expressions as, “What kind of a man is he?” 



62 


LETTER WRITING 


192. Ability, capacity.— Capacity implies a talent for planning or de¬ 
vising; ability gives the skill to execute. Ability denotes the active exercise 
of mental faculties; capacity, the receptive powers, and aptness at learning. 

193. Abundance applies to quantity only. It should never be used in 
reference to numbers. 

194. Accept, except —Accept means to receive; Except means to exclude 
or omit. They are nearly opposite in meaning, and to use either word for 
the other is very careless. 

195. Accept of.—Say ‘Please accept this gift,’ not “Please accept of this 
gift.” 

196. Accident.—Do not use accident to mean the injury caused by an 
accident; as, “Arnica cures accidents” 

197. Acknowledge, confess, avow.—We acknowledge our debts; our 
slight faults, or errors. We confess our sins, or guilt, or crime. We avow 
our principles. We confess humbly; we avow proudly. “Confession of 
faith” means acknowledgment or avowal. In the time of the early Chris¬ 
tians the word confession was not restricted as it is now. 

198. Accredit, credit.—To accredit means ‘to vest with authority;’ 
to credit means ‘to believe or to put to the credit of.’ 

199. Address, direct.—A letter is addressed at the beginning to the one 
who is to read it, but directed outside to the one who is to receive it. Pack¬ 
ages are always directed, not addressed. 

200. Adhesion, adherence.— Adhesion applies to material things; as, 
The adhesion of chalk to a blackboard. Adherence pertains to principles; as, 
adherence to a particular faith or doctrine. 

201. Adjective, location of.—An adjective should be so located as to 
modify the word intended. Say ‘A cup of good coffee,’ not “A good cup 
of coffee.” 

202. Ad libitum, ad infinitum, sine die, and a few other foreign 
phrases have become so common in English as not to sound pedantic, but it 
is generally best to avoid the use of foreign words unless no suitable equiva¬ 
lent can be found in English. Macaulay told the editor of the Edinburg 
Review that the English language was large enough to hold all he had 
to say. 

203. Adopt, take, decide upon.—Do not say “What course will you 

adopt?” say take or decide upon. 

204. Affect, effect. Affect is a verb, and means to act upon; to cause 
a change; as, “The use of tobacco will affect his health.” Effect, as a noun, is 
the result of an action; the consequence of a certain cause. Effect is also 
used as a verb; as, “To effect an entrance.” Affect is not used as a noun. 



THE RIGHT WORD 


63 


205. Afraid, an adjective, is often improperly used for the verb fear, 
in such sentences as “I am afraid that he is lost.” Say, “I fear that he is 
lost.” 

206. After is superfluous before having; as, “ After having seen him, 

we returned.” 

207. After night, means sometime the next day, and is often incorrectly 
used in referring to something done during the night. Say, ‘At night,’ or 
‘during the night.’ 

208. Aggravate means ‘to add to or make heavier;’ it should not be 
used for irritate, which means ‘to anger or provoke.' 

209. Agreeable, agreeably. —Say ‘Agreeably to my terms,’ not agreeable. 

210. Aggregation, collection, compound, group, parcel, package, 
bunch.— Aggregation is a broad term denoting a collection of the most unlike 
things; as, a house is an aggregation of brick, stone, lumber, glass, etc. A 
compound is a union of different elements into one mass possessing new 
properties; thus, Water is a compound of oxygen and hydrogen. Group de¬ 
notes an assemblage of things, having some common characteristic; as, a 
group of trees; a group of islands, etc. Package and bundle refer to like 
or unlike things wrapped or bound together. Our language has a number 
of collective nouns, most of which have a special application. It is very 
important that a writer should know just which is the appropriate term to 
apply in each case. The following list embraces the most important ex¬ 
amples : 


A group of islands is called. an archipelago. 

A body of soldiers on land is called.an army. 

A group of robbers is called.a band. 

A group of girls is called.a bevy. 

A pair of ducks or pheasants is called...a brace. 

A group of celery, parsley, etc., is called.a bunch. 

A group of bushes is called.a clump. 

A group of grapes is called.a cluster. 

A group of ants is called.a colony. 

A group of worshipers is called.a congregation. 

A group of stars is called.a constellation. 

A group of partridges is called.a covey. 

A group of people is called. a crowd. 

A group of cards is called.a deck. 

A group of pills is called.a dose. 

A group of cattle is called.a drove. 

A group of teachers is called.a faculty. 

A line of soldiers is called.a file. 

A group of ships is called.a fleet. 






















64 


LETTER WRITING 


A group of birds is called.a flock. 

A group of beauties is called.a galaxy. 

A group of thieves is called.a gang. 

A group of forest trees is called.a grove. 

A collection of rubbish is called..a heap. 

A group of buffalo is called.a herd. 

A group of bees is called.a hive. 

A group of ruffians is called.a horde. 

A group of angels is called.a host. 

A group of violent lawbreakers is called.a mob. 

A group of soldiers on water is called.a navy. 

A group of fruit trees is called.an orchard. 

A group of wolves is called..a pack. 

A collection of dirt is called.a pile. 

A group of logs is called.a raft. 

A line of soldiers abreast is called.a rank. 

A large group of sheaves is called.a rick. 

A group of fishes is called.a school. 

A bundle of straw is called.a sheaf. 

A group of porpoises is called.a shoal. 

A group of sheaves is called.a shock. 

A bunch of threads is called.a skein. 

A pair of horses is called.a span. 

A collection of hay is called.a stack. 

A group of beads is called.a string. 

A group of garments is called..a suit. 

A group of servants is called.a suite. 

A group of flies is called.a swarm. 

A group of planets is called. a system. 

A group of horses in harness is called.a team. 

A group of cars is called.a train. 

A group of savages is called.a tribe. 

A group of mounted soldiers is called.a troop. 

A bunch of grass is called.a tuft. 

A bundle of yarn is called.a twist. 

A bunch of hay is called.a wisp. 

A pair of oxen is called.a yoke. 


211. Ago, since. —Ago refers to specified time in the past; as, “one hour 
ago'” “ten years ago” Since includes all the time subsequent to some past 
time or event; as, “I have been awake since the clock struck twelve.” “No 
one has left the room since I came in.” Avoid using since for ago; as, “The 
eclipse occurred two months since” 








































THE RIGHT WORD 


65 


212. Aint, haint, taint. — Aint should never be used for ‘is not;' haint 
for ‘has not;’ nor taint for ‘it is not.’ 

213. Alike should not be coupled with both. To do so repeats the 
thought. Say ‘They are alike,’ not ‘They are both alike.” 

214. All for each. —Say ‘He gave each of them a book,’ not “He gave 
them all a book,” unless only one book was given for all to use. 

215. All over. —Say ‘Over all the city,’ not “All over the city.” 

216. All, the whole. —Use all in speaking of a multitude or collection 
by the individual parts; the whole, when it is spoken of as a body. Say 
‘Nearly all the people,’ ‘Nearly the whole society.’ 

217. Alone, only. —“That failure alone was enough to discourage him.” 
“Of all the workmen, Mr. Jones only had the skill to grind fine tools cor¬ 
rectly.” 

218. Allow. —Do not say “He allows he will go,” but ‘He thinks he 

will go.’ 

219. Allude.—To allude to a matter is to refer to it indirectly. This 
word is often misused for speak or mention. 

220. Alternative. —When a choice is offered between two things, each 
one is the alternative of the other. Do not apply the word where more than 
two things are offered. If only one thing is offered, do not say “There is 
no other alternative ” Say “There is no alternative .” The word alternative 
implies other. 

221. Among, between. — Between applies to two; among, to a greater 
number; as, ‘He divided the apple between two boys, and the money among 
three girls.’ 

222. Ancestry, posterity. — Ancestry pertains to our forefathers; pos¬ 
terity, to our children. An old epitaph in England reads, “Here lies John 
Smith and all his posterity for fifty years backwards.” 

223. Ancient, antiquated. — Ancient is opposed to modern; as, ancient 
history; ancient landmarks; ancient institutions. Antiquated refers to style 
or fashion; as, antiquated furniture; antiquated costume. 

224. And. —Do not use and for to as a sign of the infinitive mode. 
Say ‘I will try to go,’ not ‘I will try and go.” Avoid placing an adverb 
between the verb and “to,” thus producing what is called the “split infini¬ 
tive”; as, “I desire to heartily encourage you.” Say, “I desire to encourage 
you heartily,” or “I desire heartily to encourage you.” 

225. Angry.—You should say ‘Angry with a person,’ and ‘at a thing.’ 
Mad means insane. 

226. Answer, reply.—We answer questions, and reply to charges or 
assertions. Say ‘In answer (not reply) to your letter, etc.,’ unless the letter 
is of an argumentative nature. 



66 


LETTER WRITING 


227. Anticipate is often misused for the simple term expect in such 
sentences as “Do you anticipate a large crowd tonight?” Anticipate means to 
'forestall; to take beforehand;’ as, ‘He will anticipate and prevent such 
action.’ 

228. Anxiety of mind.—In such sentences as “Anxiety of mind is under¬ 
mining his health,” of mind is superfluous, since anxiety has reference to a 
state of the mind. 

229. Any is superfluous in such expressions as “I am not hurt any.” 

230. Anywhere, any place, somewhere, some place.— Anywhere and 
somewhere are adverbs, and are used without a preposition; as, “I will meet 
you somewherePlace is a noun and, therefore, requires a preposition to 
govern it; as, “I will meet you at any place,” or, “in some place.” 

231. Apparently, evidently, manifestly.— Apparently is properly used 
in referring to that which seems, but may not be, real; evidently, to that 
which both seems and is real; manifestly is more forcible than evidently. 

232. Appear, seem.—Use appear when speaking of that which affects 
the senses; especially the sight; as, “The house appears too high.” “The 
background appears too light.” Use seem for things which appeal to the 
mind; as, “His treatment seems harsh.” “Her taste seems cultivated.” 

233. Appreciate is misused for rise or increase in value. Appreciate 
means ‘to estimate justly.’ 

234. Apt, liable, likely.—Apt means ‘quick,’ and is applicable to per¬ 
sons ; as, ‘ The pupil is apt to learn.” Liable means ‘responsible, exposed to, 
or in danger of; it is applicable to both persons and things and always refers 
to injury; as, “They are liable for the cost of the goods.” “Tall trees are 
liabie to be struck by lightning.” “He is liable to get hurt.” Likely means 
'having probability,' ‘giving reason to expect;’ as, “He is likely to come 
again.” 

235. A quarter of nine (meaning 8:45 o’clock) is incorrect. Say, a 
quarter to nine. 

236. Artist, artisan.—An artist is skilled in the fine arts. An artisan 
has mechanical skill. A pprtrait painter is an artist. A sign painter is an 
artisan, but he may also possess the taste and skill of an artist. 

237. Ascend up.—In the sentence, “He ascended up the mountain,” the 
word up should be omitted. It is superfluous. 

238. At is superfluous in “Where is he af?” 

239. At all is superfluous in such sentences as “We are not at all sur¬ 
prised at the outcome.” Such expressions are sometimes allowable for 
emphasis. 

240. At, by.—Sales at auction would indicate where goods are sold; by 
auction, how they are sold, the manner of selling. 



THE RIGHT WORD 


67 


241. At length, at last.—When reference is made to time, at last should 
be used; as, “At last we came to our journey’s end.” At length means ‘in 
full,’ or ‘to a considerable extent;’ as, ‘‘He wrote to me at length about the 
affair.” 

242. Authoress, doctress, editress, poetess, etc., should not be used in 
speaking of women in these vocations. A poet is one who writes poetry; an 
editor, one who edits,—not a man, necessarily, but a person who edits. 

243. Avocation, vocation.—A man’s vocation is his business or calling; 
his avocation, the things which take him away from his regular work. A 
lawyer’s vocation is the practice of law. If he goes fishing, that is, for the 
time, his avocation. 

244. Awful means frightful, and is applicable to that which fills with 
awe. We may speak of an awful explosion, but should not say an awful 
boy. The most frequent misuse of awful is in the sense of very, which is an 
adverb. Thus, ‘‘He is an awful good boy.” Our language has no good 
substitute for very. 

245. Back is superfluous in such expressions as “They retreated back.” 

24 6. Bad.—Do not say “I have a bad cold.” Say, ‘A severe cold.' As 
colds are never good, we should not say they are bad. 

247. Badly.—Do not say, “I wish very badly to do so.” Use very much, 
or greatly instead. 

248. Balance is incorrectly used for remainder or rest in such expres¬ 
sions as “The balance of the day.” “Balance of an account” is correct. 

249. Barbarisms, solecisms, etc.—For definition of these terms see 
page 60. 

The following list contains words or phrases of this class, and which 
are not explained elsewhere in this chapter: 


Forehanded 

doctoring 

systemize 

secondhanded 

gifty 

musicianly 

unbeknown 

pronouncement 

laundered 

jag 

write-ups 

refereed 

masher 

hookey 

innovate 

tumble (to comprehend) 

yellow journal 

argufy 

a steal 

totaled 

issuance 

a defy 

nervy 

gumption 

a scoop 

munched 

vamoose 

a beat 

whole lot 

beat it 

to suicide 

spondulix 

hereabouts 

to suspicion 

teethache 

prof (for professor) 

to burglarize 

politish 

bust (for burst) 

to insurge 

discomposure 

cheek by jowl 



68 

LETTER WRITING 


humans 

vituperous 

powerful sight 

exam 

awareness 

to get wind of 

chic 

conduction 

on the carpet 

indecided 

poetess 

looking for trouble 

enthuse 

prosist 

bagged their man 

snide 

dependable 

peach on his pals 

tote 

dough 

his cloak “balloons” 

highfalutin 

go to it 

come across (for pay) 

handmedown 

cottoned 

talking through his hat 

flustrated 

ruination 

up against it 


250. Bashful, modest.— Bashful means lacking in self-possession. One 
may be very modest without being bashful or diffident. These words are not 
synonymous as many suppose. 

251. Beat is commonly misused for defeat; as, “He beat the other fel¬ 
low on election day.” Beat is also misused for excelled or surpassed in such 
expressions as “She beat all her classmates.” 

252. —Beautifully for beautiful.—Say ‘She looked beautiful/ not ‘beauti¬ 
fully.’ 

253. Before, first.—In the sentence “Before I go, I must first be paid,” 
first should be omitted. 

254. Below and under refer to place. They should not be used in the 
sense of less or fewer, referring to an amount or number. Say ‘less than 
fifty,’ or ‘fewer than fifty.’ 

255. Beside, besides.—Beside is. a preposition, meaning place ; as, ‘He 
stood beside me.’ Besides is an adverb, meaning in addition to ; as, ‘There 
were two besides me.’ 

256. Between, between each.—Say ‘between you and me/ not “between 
you and I” Also, ‘between the houses,’ not “between each of the houses.” 
Each means ‘one.’ 

257. Big, large, great.— Big refers to size and applies only to material 
things; large is a broader term, and great has a still wider application. Thus 
^ve may speak of a great success, a great scheme, a great advantage, a great 
evil, a great disturbance, a great character, a great thought or idea, or great 
piety,—for “greatness” covers not only physical things but mental and spir¬ 
itual as well. It is correct to say “a big horse,” “a big house,” a big stone,” but 
not “a big disappointment,” “a big day,” “a big fever,” “a big strain on the 
nerves,” etc. 

258. Boodle.—This is slang for “bribe money.” 

259. Both is often misused for each; as, “An oak stood on both sides 
of the road.” Say ‘An oak stood on each side of the road.’ 



THE RIGHT WORD 


69 


260. Both, each, every.— Both means two taken together, and not mere¬ 
ly one of them at a time; as, ‘Both were rich men.’ Each means all of any 
number considered one by one; as, ' Each boy was a good ball player.’ Every 
means all of any number considered as composing a group or class; as, 

‘ Every pupil should have a dictionary and use it.’ 

261. Boughten, purchased.— Boughten, though still authorized by the 
dictionary, is nearly obsolete. Say “bought” or “purchased.” 

262. Bound, used as an adjective in the sense of other, certain, or 
determined, is incorrect; as, “He is bound to succeed.” In the sense of 
redeeming a promise, bound is correct. 

263. Bountiful should not be used for plentiful, large, abundant, etc., in 
such expressions as “a bountiful crop,” “a bountiful supply.” Bountiful refers 
to the soutce, not to the supply; as, “Up to the bountiful Giver of life.” 

264. Bow Window.—Say “bay window.” 

265. Bring, fetch.— Bring implies motion in one direction; fetch, in two 
directions. We may say ‘Bring me the rake’ or ‘Go and bring me the rake;’ 
or, in the latter case, we might say ‘Fetch me the rake,’ since fetch implies 
both going and bringing. Do not say “Go and fetch me the rake,” in which 
sentence go would be superfluous. 

266. Bureau and naive (pronounced nah-eev), though foreign words, 
are completely naturalized. 

267. But for if.—Say ‘I should not wonder if that were the case,’ not 
“but that were the case.” 

268. But that.—In the sentence “There can be no doubt but that he will 
succeed,” but should be omitted. The same is true of but what. 

269. By and with.— With is used instead of by before the instrument 
with which anything is done; as, “The note was signed by the maker with a 
gold pen.” “The board was fastened by a carpenter with nails.” There are 
many instances where either word is correct; as, “He entertained them with 
or by stories of his journey.” 

270. Caboodle.—Say “collection.” 

271— Calamity, misfortune.—“The volcanic eruption in 1910 was a 
calamity to Messina.” “The fire in the store was a misfortune to the mer¬ 
chant.” 

272— Calculate, reckon, think, believe.— Calculate refers to the use 
of number; as, “John can calculate the contents of the tank.” Reckon refers 
primarily to numbers, but its use is authorized for other things also; as, 
“The sailor reckoned his longitude.” “The guest reckoned without his host.” 
Where numbers are not involved, say “think,” “judge,” “believe.” Calculate 
is incorrectly used in such sentences as*“They calculated to go to New York.” 



70 


LETTER WRITING 


273. Came near.—Do not use this expression in the sense of “almost’’; 
as, “He came near failing in grammar.” Say, “He almost failed,” or “He 
nearly failed.” 

274. Can, may .—May asks or grants permission; can has reference to 
ability. Say “May I borrow your book?” “You may go.” “I can come.” 
“Can I cross the bridge, or is it closed for repairs?” “May I cross the 
bridge, or is it against the rules?” 

275. Can not and cannot.—When absolute inability is asserted, cannot 
is used; when mere unwillingness is meant, use can not. Examples. I 
cannot hear as well as I did before.” “I can not tell a lie.” 

276. Captivate, capture.—To captivate means to fascinate; to capture , 
to take prisoner. 

277. Casuality, speciality.—There is no such word as casuahty. Say 
“casualty.” Speciality is authorized, but “specialty” is the better form. 

278. Ceremonial, ceremonious.—“It was a ceremonial service.” “He 
is a ceremonious man.” 

279. Champion should not be used in the general sense of support. It 
should be used when one speaks of being “Champion of a cause.” 

280. Character should be distinguished from reputation. Character is 
what a person is, and reputation is what he is supposed to be. 

281. Childish, childlike.—Lincoln showed childlike simplicity of char¬ 
acter. The aged and infirm often become childish. 

282. Chose, chosen.—Say “He chose her in preference to others” and 
“She has chosen the red silk.” 

283. Cinch means a strong girth for a saddle, and is used colloquially to 
mean “a tight grip,” “a sure thing.” It is considered slang and should be 
avoided in writing. 

284. Clarionet.—Say “clarinet.” 

285. Clear is superfluous in “I read the book clear through,” and other 
similar expressions. 

286. Come, came.—Say “I came to town yesterday” and “I have come 
from Chicago to see you.” 

287. Commercial, mercantile.— Commercial is a broader term than 
mercantile, as the latter includes only buying and selling, while the former 
embraces banking, manufacturing, shipping, and all forms of trade or busi¬ 
ness, and the laws and customs governing the same. 

288. Compare with, compare to, contrast.—Two things are compared 
in order to show the points of resemblance and difference between them; 
they are contrasted in order to show the points of difference only. One 
thing is compared to another to show .that the first is like the second; one 





THE RIGHT WORD 


71 


thing is compared with another to show their difference or similarity, es¬ 
pecially their difference. 

289. Confliction.—There is no such word. Say “conflict” for the noun. 
Used as a verb, “conflicts with” is correct. 

290. Consequence, importance.— Consequence means a result. Say ‘It 
is of no importance / instead of ‘It is of no consequence/ 

291. Consider means to think seriously, and is incorrectly used for 
think or regard in such sentences as ‘I consider him an honest man. 

292. Contagion, infection, epidemic.—Contagion denotes the transmis¬ 
sion of disease by direct contact. Infection is without contact, as by breath¬ 
ing, etc. A disease is epidemic when a large number of people in the same 
locality are affected with it, and may be contagious, or infectious, or neither. 
Thus, “colds” and malaria may become epidemic , but are not contagious. 

293. Contemplate should not be used for intend or expect. Contemplate 
means to consider, to meditate upon. 

294. Cotemporary.—Say “contemporary.” 

295. Contemptibly, contemptuously.—One may act contemptibly , but 
speaks contemptuously of another. 

296. Continual, continuous.— Continual is used of frequently repeated 
acts; as, ‘Continual dropping wears a stone/ Continuous, of uninterrupted 
action; as, ‘The continuous flow of a river/ 

297 Continue on.—In such expressions as “He continued on thus, He 
continued on his journey,” on is superfluous. It is correct to use the on in 
such expressions as ‘He continued on the road/ 

298. Corporal, corporeal.— Both of these words refer to the body, but 
corporal applies to some infliction; as, corporal punishment. Corporeal refers 
to the whole bodily structure; as the corporeal frame. 

299. Correct.— Do not modify correct; as, perfectly correct; absolutely 
correct; more correct. Correct does not admit of comparison. 

300 Council, Counsel.— Council is always a noun, and means a meeting 
or assembly; as, a council of war; city council Counsel may be a noun or a 
verb and means advice, an adviser, or the act of advising; as, “I like thy 
counsel, well hast thou advised.”-Shakespeare. “In friendship I counsel 
you.” 

301. Couple of for two.—Say ‘two books,’ etc., but two things that are 
coupled or bound together are a couple; as ‘A couple of cars. 

302. Custom, habit.— Custom refers to the usages of society, or things 
done by a great number of men; habit relates to things done by the indi¬ 
vidual ; as, The custom of attending church may produce habits of piety. 




72 


LETTER WRITING 


303. Dark complected.—There is no such word as complected. Say 
complexioned, or “of a dark complexion." 

304. Dead run, in the expression “He started on a dead run,” means 
simply “He started on a run.” 

305. Deadly, deathly.— Deathly, in the sense of resembling death, as 
He was deathly pale/ is preferable to deadly. Arsenic is a deadly poison. 

306. Deal.—Say ‘A great deal’ in preference to “A good deal,” but 
much is better than either. 

307. Decided, decisive.—A decided opinion is a strong one, though it 
may decide nothing; a decisive opinion settles the question at issue. A 
lawyer may have decided views on a case; the judgment of a court is de¬ 
cisive. 

308. Deny, refuse.—We deny the truth of a proposition. We refuse 
aid. There are cases in which either word is correct. 

309. Depot should not be used for station. Depot means a place for 
storing materials; station means a stopping or standing place. 

310. Depreciate, deprecate, diminish.— Depreciate should not be used 
for lessen in quantity, but in value. Deprecate means to regret an evil. 
Diminish is to lessen in quantity. 

311. Deprecated, depreciated.—“The man’s shameful conduct was 
deprecated by all good citizens.” “Mexico’s currency is greatly depreciated." 

312. Deputize.—Say “depute.” 

313. Detect, discriminate.—To detect is to find out; to discriminate is 
to distinguish between. 

314. Did, done.—Say ‘I did it,’ or ‘I have done it.’ 

315. Die with.—Persons die of, not with disease. The disease doesn’t 

die. 

316. Differ with, differ from, are both correct. Differ from should be 
used when a mere courteous difference of opinion is meant; differ with, when 
there is a positive disagreement, especially when it leads to a quarrel. 

317. Different from is preferable to different to or different than. 

318. Direful is not a good word to use in such an expression as “direful 
results;” dreadful, terrible, and woeful express the idea intended by ‘direful.’ 
Dire is the correct form. 

319. Directly for as soon as.—Say ‘As soon as he came, I told him,’ 
not “directly he came.” 

320. Disclose, discover.—To disclose is to reveal; to discover is to find. 
We disclose a secret; we discover an island. 

321. Discommode, incommode.— Incommode is the better form. 




THE RIGHT WORD 


73 


322. Discover, invent.—We discover what already existed, but remained 
unknown. We invent new combinations, methods, or means of application. 
Columbus discovered America. Guttenberg invented printing. 

323. Disposal, disposition.—These words apply equally well to the dis¬ 
tribution, arrangement, or control of material things; but disposition also ap¬ 
plies to a state of mind; as, melancholy disposition ; a disposition to fight. 
It also means tendency; as, plants have a disposition to grow upward. 

324. Disremember.—Say forget, not "disremember.” 

325. Distinctly, distinctively.—"He was distinctly heard.” "The plan 
was distinctively successful.” 

326. Don’t, doesn’t.— Don't is a contraction of do not; doesn’t , of does 
not. Think or speak the two words in full ( do not or does not), to see if 
the verb agrees with the subject, and it is easy to decide which should be 

used. 

327. Double Comparisons.—Both methods of comparison should not 
be used at the same time. Say ‘This was the most unkind cut of all,’ or ‘This 
was the unkindest cut of all,’ but not "This was the most unkindest cut of all.” 

328. Double negatives.—Two negatives make an affirmative. To say 
"He does not know nothing,” means that he knows something. Say ‘He 
does not know anything,’ or ‘He knows nothing,’ if that is what you mean. 

329. Down is superfluous in such expressions as "It dropped down,” 
"He fell down” 

330. Drank, drunk.—Say ‘He drank eagerly,’ ‘He had drunk three 
glasses of water.’ 

331. Dreadful.—Do not say you had a dreadful or dreadfully good 
time, nor ‘‘It is an awfully fine day.” 

332. Drouth.—There is no such word. Say "drought.” 

333. Dry should not be used for thirsty. 

334. Each other, one another.— Each other applies to but two; one 
another, to a large number. 

335. Either alternative.—‘He could take either alternative.’ Alterna¬ 
tive implies a choice, one choice. Either implies two. Therefore, either 
alternative implies two alternatives, two choices, which is manifestly in¬ 
correct. 

336. Either, neither, and both.—Each of these words applies to but 
two objects, although commonly misused by being applied to three or a 
greater number. Either means ‘one or the other;’ both means ‘one and the 
other;’ neither means ‘not one nor the other.’ 

337. Electricute, Electrocute.— Electricute is correct, the word being 
derived from electricity. "Electro-magnetic,” "electrolysis,” "electrode,” etc., 
are also correct, being derived from the Greek electron. 



74 


LETTER WRITING 


338. Elegant, excellent.—Use elegant only when referring to matters 
of grace and beauty or culture and social refinement. Say elegant manners; 
elegant style of composition; but excellent reputation; excellent cabbage. 

339. Emigrant, immigrant.—These are correlative words, and have 
reference to the country from which, or into which the migration, or moving, 
is made. One who moves from France to make his home in America is 
called by the French an emigrant, but by the Americans he is called an 
immigrant. 

340. Empties.—Instruction in geographies to the contrary, rivers do 
not “empty” into lakes or oceans; say flow or pour. 

341. Enclose, inclose.—These two words are defined alike, and may be 
used with equal propriety. Enclose calls attention to the outside covering; 
inclose refers to the thing covered. Use either one, but avoid changing from 
one to the other in the same connection. Note, however, that the thing en¬ 
closed is always an inclosure. 

342. Enough, sufficient.— Enough pertains to the appetite; sufficient to 
actual needs. “I have had enough to eat, but not sufficient money to pay my 
fare.” Children seldom have enough, but they usually have sufficient. 

343. Enthused.—Some persons speak of being “enthused” over a mat¬ 
ter, when they really mean that they are aroused, stirred, excited, or in¬ 
spired. 

344. Equable, equitable.— Equable means not varying or changing; as, 
an equable temper; equable feelings. Equitable means just, fair, impartial; 
as, an equitable distribution of an estate; an equitable decision; equitable 
man. 

345. Equally as well as.—Equally is superfluous and should be omitted 
from such expressions as “This is equally as good as that.” 

346. Estimate, esteem.—To estimate is ‘to judge the value of;’ to 
esteem is ‘to set a high value on,’ especially of persons. 

347. Etc., &c.—These are both abbreviations of the Latin phrase, et 
cetera, meaning ‘and the rest.’ The sign, &c., is read ‘and so forth’ and 
should be used only when the meaning is ‘and others like them;’ etc. should 
be read ‘et cetera,’ and used when the meaning is ‘and the rest,’ or ‘and other 
things not mentioned.’ Never repeat either of these abbreviations; as, etc., 
etc., or &c., &c. 

348. Eventuated.—Say “resulted.” 

349. Every, in such sentences as “We have every confidence in him,” is 
misused for entire or perfect. 

350. Every thing, everything.— Every thing means ‘each thing;’ but 
everything means ‘all taken together;’ as, ‘He paid the highest price for 
every thing he bought;’ ‘They sold everything.’ 



THE RIGHT WORD 


75 


351. Example, problem.—An example is that which is to be followed 
or imitated; a problem is a question proposed for solution. 

352. Exceeds, excels.—“She excels her sister in music.” “The cost 
exceeds the amount appropriated.” 

353. Exhumate.—Say “exhume.” 

354. Existing, extant.—That is existing which has existence; that is 
extant which has escaped the ravages of time, used chiefly in speaking of 
books, manuscripts, etc. 

355. Expect, suspect.—I expect John here tonight. I suspect William 
deceived his teacher. Expect always refers to future. Do not say, “I ex¬ 
pect John was hurt.” Expect is often incorrectly used for suppose, think, 
believe. 

356. Expose, expound.—To expose is to lay bare to view; to expound 
is to explain the meaning of. 

357. Extend.—Say ‘He showed me great courtesy,’ not “He extended 
great courtesy to me.” 

358. Extreme should not be compared; as “more extreme,” “most 
extreme.” 

359. Fact, truth.— Fact pertains to things past. Every fact is true, but 
not every truth is a fact. It is a fact that the sun rose yesterday morning, 
but it is not a fact that the sun will set this evening. “Electricity will in¬ 
duce magnetism” is a truth. All the propositions of mathematics are truths. 
They are facts only as actually applied to specific cases. 

360. Farther, further.—Farther has reference to distance or extent; as, 
‘He could walk no farther.’ Further means more; as, ‘I have nothing further 
to say.’ Further also means to advance; as, “He will further the project.” 

361. Fire.—It is correct to say “The hunter fired his gun;” “The soldier 
fired a cannon,” because fire is used for that purpose; but it is absurd to 
say “The office boy fired a stone through the window,” or “The manager 
fired the boy for his carelessness.” 

362. First, last.—Say ‘The first four’ not the “four first;” there can be 
but one ‘first or one ‘last.’ 

363. Firstly, secondly, and so forth, are often improperly used for 
first, second, and so forth. 

364. Fishy.—Say “improbable.” 

365. Fix for repair, arrange, and draw, is improperly used in such ex¬ 
pressions as “The lawyer will fix up the papers.” “They fixed the ma¬ 
chinery.” Fix means ‘to establish.’ 

366. Fixity is incorrect. Say fixedness. 

367. Fizzle.—A better word is “failure.” 





76 


LETTER WRITING 


368. Flunk, cut.—These are college terms to be avoided in business. 
Say “fail,” and “omit,” “leave out,” or “stay away from.” 

369. Foot for pay.—When a man says he will foot the bill, he really 
promises to add it. What he meant to say was that he would pay the bill. 

370. For should be omitted from such expressions as “He is worth 
more than you think for.” 

371. Forward is superfluous in “They advanced forward say simply 
‘They advanced.’ 

372. Frightened, may properly be used in ‘The locomotive frightened 
the horse,’ but it is incorrect to say “The horse frightened at the loco¬ 
motive.” 

373. From is superfluous before hence, thence, whence-, as, “From 
whence does it come?” 

374. Full is superfluous after fill; as, “It was filled full with apples.” 

375. Funeral obsequies is as incorrect as “wedding marriage ceremony.” 
Use one of the words only, funeral or obsequies. 

376. Funny, strange, odd.—Use funny only to indicate something 
humorous; as, a funny clown; a funny song. Do not say, “It is funny that 
Mary does not wear mourning for her father.” 

377. Furthermore, farthermore.—Say “furthermore, furtherance.” 

378. Gent is a vulgar contraction of the word gentleman, and should 
never be used. 

379. Get over is incorrectly used for recover from in the phrase “to get 
over an illness.” 

380. Good is often misused for well, in such sentences as “He writes 
good.” Say ‘He writes well. 1 

381. Good music in attendance should be ‘Good music will be furnished 
or provided 

382. Gospel should not be used as an adjective; as, “gospel light,”, 
“gospel truth.” 

383. Got is superfluous after have, has, and had. Say simply ‘I have 
a dollar.’ 

384. —Graduated, was graduated.—Say “She was graduated last June.” 

385. Grand is incorrectly used in such expressions as “It was a grand 
failure.” 

386. Gratuitous is often misused for unfounded, unreasonable, or un¬ 
warranted, as “That is a gratuitous assumption.” 

387. Grow, means to increase or pass from one state or condition to 
another, as ‘to grow light,’ ‘grow dark,’ ‘grow weary.’ What is large cannot 
properly be said to ‘grow’ smaller; use become instead. 



THE RIGHT WORD 


77 


388. Guess is a much misused word. Usually when people say they 
‘guess’ this, that, or the other thing, they should say suppose or believe. 

389. Guilt, guile.—“The prisoner’s guilt was established by the testi¬ 
mony.” “He was a man of sorrows in whom there was no guile.” 

390. Had have.— Have should never be used after had, though had may 
follow have. In “Had you have kept your promise,” have should be omitted. 

391. Had ought.— Had is superfluous in the sentence “He had ought to 
go.” Ought is a defective verb, having no past participle, and so cannot be 
used with an auxiliary verb. 

392. Had rather, had better, though common expressions, should be 
would rather and might better. 

393. Half.—Say ‘Cut it in halves,’ or ‘Cut it in two,’ not “Cut it in half.” 
There must be two halves. 

394. Handy, convenient.—Use the word handy only in speaking of 
things that pertain to the hand; as a handy tool; but a convenient time. 

395. Hanged, hung.—The murderer was hanged on the gallows. The 
coat was hung in the wardrobe. 

396. Happify.—There is no such word. 

397. Hardly, scarcely.— Hardly has reference to degree; scarcely, to 
quantity. Say ‘They have scarcely enough for their own use;’ ‘He is hardly 
able to walk yet.’ Don’t and can’t should not be used with hardly. 

398. Haste, hurry.— Haste means speed, but hurry adds to this the idea 
of confusion. It is often well to be in haste, but never in a hurry. 

399. Head over heels, in the expression “He is head over heels in 
work,” means nothing unusual, as intended, because that is the proper posi¬ 
tion for a person to work. 

400. Healthy, healthful, wholesome.—We may speak of a healthy or 
unhealthy person, and of a healthful climate. Wholesome is applicable to 
food, water, air, etc. 

401. Heap should not be used for very, or a great deal, as in “A heap 
of work.” 

402. Hearty.—Say ‘He ate heartily’ not “He eat a hearty meal.” It is 
the eater not the meal that is hearty. 

403. Heft.—Say “weight” for a noun; “lift” for a verb. 

404. Height, “heighth.”—Say ‘The tree is fifty feet in height’ (pro¬ 
nounced h-i-t-e). There is no such word as “heighth.” 

405. Help should not be used for avoid or keep from ; as, “I could not 
help laughing at him.” 

406. Hence, thence, whence.—The word “from” is superfluous with any 
of these words. Do not say from hence, from thence, etc. 



78 


LETTER WRITING 


407. Here and there are incorrectly used after this and that. In the 
sentence “This here book is better than that there one,” omit here and there. 

408. Hope.—Do not use this word transitively; “We may hope the 
blessing of God.” Say “hope for,” etc. 

409. Horrid, unpleasant.—Horrid means dreadful, hideous, shocking, 
and should be used only when speaking of that which is very offensive. 
Unpleasant is the milder term. 

410. House, home.—A house is a building. Home means ‘The abiding 
place of the affections;’ it may or may not be in a house. 

411. How for what.—If you do not understand a remark, say “I beg 
your pardon,” or “Excuse me, sir.” What gives the sense required, but is 
not polite. How means nothing at all, in this connection. Dr. Oliver Wen¬ 
dell Holmes said, “The two signs of ignorance of cultured society are, that 
a man eats with his knife, and says ‘ haow 

412. How do you do?—Is criticized by some authorities as incorrect 
for an inquiry regarding a person’s health. It is really asking how the person 
addressed does something. These authorities would say ‘How are you?' 
Other eminent writers do not object to the use of “How do you do?” 

413. Human, humane.— Human denotes what pertains to man, as 
‘human sacrifices;’ humane means compassionate. 

414. Hunk.—Say “a large piece.” “Chunk” is a correct word. 

415. I thought to myself.—In this expression ‘to myself’ is absurdly 
superfluous, because this is the only way one can think. 

416. If I was him should be ‘If I were he.’ 

417. Illy is authorized, but the best writers use ill for both adjective 
and adverb; as, “He was ill able to bear the loss.” 

418. Immense, is improperly used in such expressions as ‘immense re¬ 
ductions,’ ‘immense discounts,’ etc. Immense really means ‘unlimited.’ 

419. Implicate, involve.— Implicate is used in a bad sense, in “He was 
implicated in a disgraceful plot.” Involve does not carry with it any such 
unfavorable meaning. 

420. In should not be used for into. When entrance is denoted, use into. 

421. Inaugurate, is often improperly used for adopt, begin, open, install, 
establish. We adopt measures; we begin, open, or establish a business; in¬ 
stall pastors; inaugurate presidents, governors, mayors. 

422. Individual, person.—When speaking of human beings person is 
generally a better word to use than individual, as the latter applies also to ani¬ 
mals and inanimate things. Person also has special reference to the human 
body; as, the care of the person. Individual may be used to express inten¬ 
tional disrepect, as if unwilling to dignify that one with the word “person.” 



THE RIGHT WORD 


79 


423. Ingenious, ingenuous. —“The inventor exhibited an ingenious de¬ 
vice.” “His honesty and frankness bespoke an ingenuous character.” 

424. Ingrediences. —Say ingredients. 

425. — Initiate, is often spoken or written when begin is the word that 
should be used. 

426. In our midst, is an abused expression, for the reason that midst 
means nearly the same as middle ; say ‘with us’ or ‘among us.’ 

427. Inquire, investigate. —To inquire is ‘to ask for information;’ to 
investigate is ‘to make a thorough examination.’ 

428. In so far as. —In such expressions as ‘In so far as our knowledge 
goes,’ in should be omitted. 

429. Invite for invitation. — Invite is not used as a noun. Say invita¬ 
tion. 

430. Is being is severely criticised by some writers. In such expres¬ 
sions as “The house is being built,” such critics would say, “The house is 
building.” Since the word “being” is the auxiliary necessary to denote 
passive voice in the progressive form, it would seem proper to employ that 
w r ord whenever the sense indicates that the subject is acted upon, and that 
the action is now in progress. Surely the house is not building itself, but is 
being built by the workmen. If men are cleaning the street, the street is being 
cleaned. Our critics would say “The street is cleaning.” We think their 
criticism is not well founded. 

431. Isn’t but. —Say “There is but one there,” not “There isn’t but one 
there.” 

432. Its, it is. — Its should be distinguished from it’s; the latter is a 
contraction of it is, though ’tis is the authorized contraction. 

433. It, what.— Instead of “It is true what he says,” say “What he says 
is true.” 

434. Kelter. —Say “proper condition.” 

435. Kid. —Say “a young child.” 

436. .Lady for wife. —Say ‘Mr.-and wife/ instead of “Mr.-and 

lady.” 

437. Last, latter. —Where only two things are considered say latter 
not last. 

438. Lay, lie. —Lay is a transitive verb, and should never be used with¬ 
out an object; as, “John will not lay this carpet.” William may lay his book 
on my desk.” The principal parts of lay are lay, laid, laid. Lie is an intrasi- 
tive verb, and therefore requires no object; as, “The sheep lie still.” “The 
tree lies where it falls.” The principal parts of lie are lie, lay, lain. The 
misuse of the word lay for lie, grows out of the fact that the present tense 
of one verb is just like the past tense of the other; viz., “lay”. Remember 






80 


LETTER WRITING 


that lay in present or future tense always requires an object. Otherwise lie 
is correct, if in the present tense. Thus, “John stands but William lies'’ 
“William lay there yesterday, and Jias lain there often before.” 

439. Learn, teach.— Learn means ‘to acquire knowledge;’ teach means 
‘to impart knowledgehence it is incorrect to say “He learned me to write,” 
or “I will learn you better.” 

440. Least.—In the sentence “Of two evils choose the least,” say ‘the 
less.’ 

441. Leave is incorrectly used in “I shall leave this morning.” Leave 
what? If any thing or place, name it. If you mean ‘go away,’ say ‘I 
shall go away this morning.’ 

442. Length, Long.— Length is used chiefly of discourses or writings, 
and implies tediousness; long is used of anything that has length. 

443. Lengthways, sideways, etc.—The better form for these words is 
lengthwise, sidewise, endwise, crosswise, etc. 

444. Leniency.—Say “ lenity .” 

445. Less, fewer, smaller.— Less refers to quantity or size; fewer, to 
number; as, ‘I have less money than he has, but he has fewer friends than I 
have.’ Smaller refers to size only. 

446. Liable, likely.—Never use liable unless the intention is used to ex¬ 
press injury; as, “The firemen are liable to be hurt by falling walls.” A wit¬ 
ness once testified that he bought lottery tickets because he thought he would 
be liable to draw a prize. 

447. Like is a preposition, and should not be used as a conjunction. 
Say, “He looks like you,” not “He looks like you do.” If it is desired to use 
a conjunction to make the comparison more formal use “as.” Thus, “He 
walks like me;” or, “He walks as I do.” 

448. Likewise, also.— Likewise, which means ‘in like manner,’ is often 
misused for also. Also classes together things or qualities; likeinnsc couples 
actions or states of being. 

449. Loan, lend.— Loan is a noun, and should never be used for the 
verb lend. Say “Lend me your unbrella;” not “ Loan me your umbrella,” 
nor “ Lend me the loan of your umbrella.” 

450. Locate, find.— Locate means to place in a particular position, or to 
designate the position of, as of a new building; it does not mean to find. 

451. Long.—Do not use long as a noun; as, “He was gone for long.” 
Say “for a long time.” 

452. Look is used as a copulative verb, and should, therefore, take an 
adjective after it, not an adverb. Say “The car looks strong,” “The man 
looks bad” (not “badly”). 





THE RIGHT WORD 


81 


453. Loud, gaudy. —Do not use loud for gaudy; as, “He wore loud 
clothes.’ 

454. Love and like. —These words should not be used indiscriminately. 
Love implies affection. We may like peaches, flowers, to hear someone sing, 
etc., but we should not speak of loving such things. 

455. Luxuriant, luxurious. —Luxuriant means abundant in growth; as 
luxuriant hair; a luxuriant garden. Luxurious pertains to expensive rari¬ 
ties to please the senses; as, luxurious furniture. 

456. Luxury, luxuriance. —“The rich can live in luxury “The poor 
who visit the parks may enjoy the luxuriance of the foliage.” 

457. Majority. —This word is applicable only to persons. “The majority 
of the time” is incorrect; rather say Ike greater part or more than half in¬ 
stead of ‘majority.’ 

458. Majority, plurality. —For a candidate to have a majority, he must 
have more than half of all the votes cast. If there are more than two 
candidates the winner’s majority is his excess over all the others. His 
plurality is his excess over the next highest. Majority is applicable only to 
persons. 

459. Many, much. — Many refers to number; much to quantity. Thus, 
“You may have too many horses, but not too much oats.” 

460. Meant to have said.— Say “I meant to say;” “I meant to write;” 
‘7 meant to go ,” not “I meant to have written ;” “I meant to have gone ;” 

etc. 

461. Memorandum. —The English plural, memorandums is now taking 
the place of the Latin plural memoranda. 

462. Mighty is a much misused word in such sentences as “I am 
mighty glad to see you.” 

463. Militate with should be militate against. 

464. Mind should not be used for remember; as, “Do you mind the 
time ?” 

465. Missionate, to act as a missionary, is used in sermons, and in the 
Missionary Herald. There is no such word. 

466. Mistaken. —In the sentence “You are mistaken,” say mistake, or in 
error, or incorrect. The prefix ‘mis’ means wrong or bad; as wimise, mis- 
lead, etc. Therefore mistaken really means ‘wrongly taken.’ 

467. Monogram, monograph. —A monogram is a design of two or 
more letters interwoven. A monograph is a written description of some one 
object or event. These words should never be interchanged. 

468. Moonshiny. —Say “moonlight.” 

469. More than you think for. —Omit for. Say, He learned more than 
you think. Her voice is better than you think. 



82 


LETTER WRITING 


470. Most for almost.—In such sentences as “I saw him most every 
day,” most is incorrectly used for almost. 

471. Most for very.—Say ‘It is a very (not most ) melancholy fact.' 

472. Muffish.—Usually “awkward” is better. 

473. Mutual, common.— Mutual applies to two persons who have a 
reciprocal relationship; as, mutual friends; a mutual aversion. John and 
James may be mutual friends; that is, each is a friend of the other; but 
William, who is a friend of both John and James, is not their mutual friend, 
but their common friend. “Mutual reciprocity” is a tautological expression, 
as both words signify the same thing. 

474. Natty.—“Spruce” is better. 

475. Near.— Near pertains to distance and means “not far.” It is fast 
coming into use as a compound with other words, as, “He is a near-musician,” 
meaning, “not quite.” In this sense near is opposed to real; as, “statesmen 
real and near.” This use of near originated only recently as slang, and does 
not yet appear in the dictionary; but reputable speakers and magazine writers 
have seized upon it as though it filled a long-felt want, and this use of the 
word bids fair soon to become fully established. 

476. Near for nearly.—Say ‘It is not nearly so nice’ instead of “It is 
not near so nice.” 

477. —Negatives.—Two negatives make an affirmative; as, “I don’t want 
no coffee,” means I want some coffee. Say, ‘I dont want any coffee,’ or ‘I 
want no coffee.’ 

478. Neglect, negligence.— Neglect means the omission of an act of 
duty. Negligence is the habit of neglecting. 

479. Never, not for.—Say ‘He was not for an instant diverted,’ instead 
of “never an instant.” 

480. Never, whenever.—Say ‘I never fail to read when (not whenever) 
I can get a book.’ 

481. New.—Say ‘ a pair of new boots (not a new pair of boots).’ This 
illustrates the misplacing of adjectives. They should be just before the word 
they modify. 

482. New beginner should be beginner only. New is superfluous. 

483. New, novel.—That is new which is not old; that is novel, which is 
both new and strange. 

484. Nice means exact or precise. Say “A nice fit,” or “a nice distinc¬ 
tion,” but not “a nice color” or “a nice day.” 

485. Nobody else.—In the phrase “There was nobody else but him,” 
omit the ‘else.’ 

486. Noise, sound.—“The cars make a disagreeable noise when passing.” 
“The piano gives forth a musical sound” 




THE RIGHT WORD 


83 


487. None is singular, meaning no one, but may be used in a plural 
sense; as, “None of us were present/ Of course, “None of us was present" 
is also correct. 

488. Noted, notorious.—These words convey nearly the same idea, but 
notorious applies usually in an unfavorable sense. Thus, we speak of a 
noted author, but a notorious thief. 

489. Notice.—Say ‘I shall mention (not notice ) a few facts.’ 

490. Notwithstanding for although.—Say ‘ Although (not notwith¬ 
standing) they fought bravely, they were defeated/ 

491. Noways,—The better form is “nowise.” 

492. Numerous for many.—Speak of your ‘many (not numerous ) 
friends.’ 

493. O and oh.—Use O for direct address; as, “How long, O Lord, 
how long!" Use oh for expression of emotion where there is no direct ad¬ 
dress; as “Oh, what a beautiful scene!" The exclamation point may be 
used after oh also, to intensify the emotion. 

494. Observation, observance.—“The observation of an unfavorable 
symptom caused the better observance of the rules of the hospital." 

495. Observe is often incorrectly used for say. Observe means ‘to keep 
carefully, to heed/ 

496. Obvious, evident.—That is obvious which is plain to the sight. 
We must reason about the proof before declaring anything evident. 

49 7. Of is sometimes incorrectly used for have after might, could, 
would, should, or ought to, as “You might of gone with us." 

498. Of is superfluous after admit, accept, recollect t and remember, as 
“The case was too plain to admit of doubt." 

499. Of all others.—Such sentences as “This habit is of all others the 
hardest to break up," are incorrect because a thing cannot be one of all 
others. 

500. Of any.—Say “This is better than any other." Not “This is the 
best of any.” 

501. Offish.—Better say “shy.” 

502. Older, elder.—Use older in speaking of animals or things; as, the 
older horse; an older house. Use elder when referring to persons, especially 
when honor or dignity is to be implied; as, The elder brother. Elder is also 
a title of office in some churches; as, “ Elder Williams administered the Sacra¬ 
ment." Older may also be applied to persons; as, “he will know better when 
he is older'” but elder should never be applied to animals or things. 

503. On is superfluous in ‘continue on / continue includes the idea of on. 

504. Onto.—It is usually better to say on or upon. 




84 


LETTER WRITING 


505. On every hand. —Instead of this, say on each hand, on either hand, 
on both hands, or on every side. 

506. On, upon, in many connections are interchangeable; in others, not. 
On means merely ‘over or resting on a thing;’ upon conveys the idea of 
motion, as ‘The boy climbed upon the wagon;’ ‘He rode on the wagon.’ 

507. Ought, aught. —Say ‘For aught (not ought ) I know’ Aught means 
anything; ought implies obligation. Say ‘I ought to go,’ not, “I had ought 
to go.” 

508. Oral, verbal. —Oral means spoken, not written; as, oral contract; 
oral testimony. Verbal means expressed in words, either written or spoken. 
It is incorrect to say “verbal contract,” meaning a contract that is not written. 

509. Over. —Say ‘I went across (not over) the bridge.’ A bird may fly 
‘over’ a bridge. 

510. Over, above, like below and under, have reference to place. They 
are often incorrectly used for more than. Do not say “He lives above a mile 
away,” nor, “The coat cost over ten dollars.” Say, “There were more than 
fifty present.” 

511. Overflown, overflowed. — Flown is a form of the verb fly; flowed, 
of the verb flow. “The river has overflown the country” should be ‘The river 
has overflowed the country.’ 

512. Own means to possess and should not be used for admit, or con¬ 
fess, as “I own he was right.” Say ‘I confess he was right.’ 

513. Pants.—Say “Pantaloons,” or “trousers.” 

514. Partake for eat. — Partake means to take a part, and is often mis¬ 
used for the simple word eat; as “He partook of his breakfast in silence.” 

515. Partially for partly. —When anything is done in part, it is partly 
(not partially) done. 

516. Farticle means the smallest possible part of a material substance; 
as “a particle of dust.” Do not say “I did not get a particle of rest last 
night.” Any is the word to use. 

617. Partition, petition. —A partition means a division; as, a wall be¬ 
tween two rooms. Petition means a formal request; a prayer; as, a petition 
to the city council. Both words are also used as verbs. In law, a request to 
divide an estate is a petition for partition. 

518. Party for person, man or woman. —Party means a number of 
persons, or one person who takes part with others in anything of a legal 
nature. We may speak of a man’s being ' party to a crime,’ or of his ’being 
‘one of the parties to a contract,’ but do not say “the party who called on me ” 

519. Past is often incorrectly used for by, as “I went past his house.” 
Past may be used when th ere is no object; as ‘The bullets whistled past.’ 



THE RIGHT WORD 


£5 


520. Patrons for customers. — Patron means ‘one who supports, favors, 
protects, or gives aid to another.’ This word should not be used for cus¬ 
tomers, as is quite common in this country. 

521. Pell-mell and hurry-skurry imply a crowd, and should never be 
applied to one person. Do not say, “He rushed out of the house pell-mell" 
“He ran hurry-scurry down the street.” 

522. People for persons. — People means a body of persons taken collec¬ 
tively, a nation. Say, ‘A great many persons (not people ) were there.’ 

523. Peradventure, perhaps .—Per adventure sounds affected, except in 
poetry. Say perhaps. 

524. Perambulate is often misused for walk or stroll, by those who 
have a fondness for big words to express little ideas. 

525. Persuade, advise. —To persuade is ‘to induce;’ to advise is ‘to give 
counsel or information.’ 

526. Plenty is incorrectly used for plentiful, in such sentences as 
“Peaches are plenty this year.” 

527. Plenty, many. — Plenty means an abundance and applies to quantity 
in bulk, but not in numbers; as, plenty of wheat, or plenty of water; but not 
plenty of men. One author says “Plenty of the gang told me;” also, “Abund¬ 
ance of boys were there.” Say many or enough. 

528. Pocket-handkerchief. —The word pocket is superfluous, just as 
‘hand’ is in ‘neck-handkerchief.’ The latter should be neck-kerchief. 

529. Political Nicknames. —The stress of excitement in politics gives 
rise to some transient words which partake of the nature of slang, and yet 
seem to be required temporarily to meet the emergency of the times. A few 
of these are, “Standpatters,” “insurgents,” “silverites,” “gold bugs,” “recon- 
centrado,” “radicals,” “conservatives.” Avoid all such words in business 
correspondence. 

530. Politics is singular; as, “Politics is one thing and patriotism quite 
another.” 

531. Portion for part.—Do not say “a portion of the time” or “a portion 
of the city;” part is the word to use. A portion is a part set aside for a 
special purpose, or to be considered by itself. 

532. Post for inform. —Say ‘You should inform (not post ) yourself on 
that point/ You post the ledger,’ or you “ post a letter.” 

533. Powerful weak. —“He was powerful weak after his long sickness.” 
This seems to mean a strong weakness; better say very. 

534. Practical, practicable. —Say a practical man; a practical under¬ 
standing; practical skill; a practical book. Practicable should be used when 
considering the means or proposed methods of putting some idea into prac- 



86 


LETTER WRITING 


tice; as, a practicable plan; a practicable solution of the difficulty. -Also, 
practicable roads, practicable weapons, etc., meaning capable of being used 
in a practical manner. 

535. Predict, predicate. — Predict means to foretell; as, “We predicted 
his election.” Predicate as a verb, means to assert one thing of another; as, 
“My charges were predicated on the strength of his admissions.” 

536. Preface, foreword. — Preface, though a foreign word, is com¬ 
pletely naturalized and means the same as foreword. 

537. Preventive, preventative. — Preventive means that which will pre¬ 
vent. There is no such word as preventative. 

538. Previous, previously. —Say ‘He wrote me previously (not pre¬ 
vious) to his going.’ 

539. Prominent, eminent. — Prominent means conspicuous; eminent 
means 'distinguished in rank or character.’ 

540. Promise for assure. —Say ‘I assure (not promise) you that he 
will do the right thing.’ 

541. Propose, purpose. — Propose means to offer for consideration; as, 
“I propose a compromise.” Purpose, as a verb, means to intend; as, “I pur¬ 
pose to write a book.” If I propose to write a book I must make that propo¬ 
sition to some one. I may purpose to write a book, and yet not say anything 
about it. 

542. Proposition.—This word is misused in such expressions as “That 
man is a hard proposition.” “This task is a harder proposition than I ex¬ 
pected.” 

543. Prospects of the future. —“Of the future” is superfluous. 

544. Proven for Proved.—We might as well say ‘loven;’ as, “Ephraim 
has proven that he has loven Susan.” 

545. Quantity, number. — Quantity has reference to that which may be 
weighed or measured; number to that which is counted. 

546. Quite a few, quite a little. —The word quite is superfluous in such 
expressions as “We have quite a few of them.” 

547. Raise, lower. —These words are incorrectly used in such sen¬ 
tences as “He has raised the rent,” “They lowered his wages.” Say in¬ 
creased or diminished. 

548. Raise, rise. —There is the same difference between these words as 
between “lay” and “lie,” or “set” and “sit.” , Raise requires an object; as, 
“It is polite to raise your hat when greeting a lady.” Do not say “raise up.” 
Say “rise up”, or simply “rise.” 

549. Rarely, ever.— Say “rarely if ever,” “seldom if ever,” or “seldom 
or never.” 



THE RIGHT WORD 


87 


550. Real, very. —Do not use real for very or really as an intensive. 
Say “I am very glad,” “I am really sorry;” not “I am real glad, real sorry, 
real hungry, etc.” 

551. Recollect, remember. —These words are not synonymous. We 
may be able to recollect (re-collect) what we do not at the moment remem¬ 
ber. Say, “I do not remember” and “I cannot recollect when it happened.” 

552. Recommend is incorrectly used for advise, suggest, or request, in 
such sentences as “The committee recommends it.” 

553. Relations, relatives. — Relation is‘ a very broad term, and should 
not be used in speaking of kindred. Everything has some relation to every¬ 
thing else. In speaking of kindred, say relatives. 

554. Remove should not be used as a noun, as in “a long remove.” 

555. Remunerate, reimburse.— Remunerate means ‘to pay, to reward;’ 
reimburse, ‘to pay back, to restore/ We remunerate a man for services ren¬ 
dered, or reimburse him for expenses he has incurred for us. 

556. Rendition, rendering. —Say “Her rendering of the poem was 
warmly applauded.” 

557. Repulse, repel. — Repulse usually implies hostility; repel is a mili¬ 
tary term. We repulse an enemy or an assailant; we repel an officious person. 

558. Reputable for respectable. —One’s reputation may be either good 
or bad, hence, to say of a man that he is a reputable person is very indefinite. 

559. Respectfully, respectively. —“Awaiting your further favors, I re¬ 
main, Yours respectfully .” A tall man and a blonde woman wearing a black 
hat and a red shawl respectively .” 

560. Resurrect, resurrected. —Do not use this word as a transitive 
verb; it is a sacrilegious distortion of the idea of resurrection. Resurrection 
is a noun, meaning a rising again from the dead. There is no such verb as 
resurrect. 

561. Retire has a clear meaning, and well defined uses, not one of which 
is the sense of ‘going to bed.’ If you are going to bed, say so. 

562. Return back. —Say ‘After a week’s absence he returned (not re¬ 
turned back ).’ 

563. Right. —Do not use this word in the sense of ought. Say, “You 
ought to have helped him,” not “You had a right to help him (if intended to 
mean the same).” It is correct to say “Keep right on,” “Go right up stairs,” 
“Look right ahead,” “Stand right over the mark.” 

564. Right, wrong. —In the sentences, “That is very right,” “That is 
very wrong,” omit ‘very.’ 

565. Rily. —The correct word is “roily.” 

566. Round, around. — Round is an adjective; as, a round house; a round 
plate. It is also used as a noun; as, “The top round of the ladder.” Around 




88 


LETTER WRITING 


is a preposition; as, around the house, around the world. Avoid using round 
as a preposition. 

567. Round, square, straight. —These words should not be compared. 
If a thing is round it cannot be any “rounder,” or if it is square it cannot be 
“more square.” One thing may be 'more nearly round’ than another if neither 
of them is round. 

568. Run into the ground. —Say “to overdo.” 

569. Rustic, rural, pastoral. — Rustic means plain or simple, and ap¬ 
plies to manners, dress, etc. “She had a rustic, woodland air.” Rural ap¬ 
plies in a broader sense to everything connected with country life; as, rural 
economy, rural scenery, rural customs. Pastoral applies to anything peculiar 
to the life of a shepherd; as, pastoral care. 

570. Same is superfluous in “He is the same man I saw yesterday,” and 
similar sentences. 

571. Scissors, snuffers, tongs, trousers, etc., denoting articles which are 
paired or coupled, are plural and take a plural verb. Say ‘The scissors are 
(not is) dull.’ 

572. See for saw or have seen. —Say ‘I saw him’, or ‘I have seen him.’ 

573. Section is often misused for part, region, neighborhood, vicinity. 

574. Seedy. —Say “shabby.” 

575. Seldom or ever (or never). —This phrase should be ‘seldom, if 
ever.’ 

576. Set, sit. — Set is a transitive verb and requires an object; as, “John 
may set the chair against the wall.” Principal parts are Set, set, set,—the 
same for all tenses. Sit is intransitive, requires no object, and should be used 
whenever no object is expressed; as, “I will sit here.” Principal parts are 
Sit, sat, sat. “James stands while John sits beside him. John sat there yes¬ 
terday, and has sat there often before.” “He will sit there tomorrow if 
present.” “James may now set a stake in line with the stakes which John set 
yesterday.” “Henry has set a stone at the corner, and will set another to¬ 
morrow.” 

577. Settle is often misused for pay, in speaking of accounts. 

578. Shall, will.— To represent simple futurity, shall is used in the first 
person, and will in the second and third; as, “I shall drown; nobody will help 
me.” To represent determination, will is used in the first person, and shall 
in the second and third; but in this case, these words are also emphasized; as, 
“I will drown; nobody shall help me.” 

579. Shine. —“Take a fancy” is better than “take a shine.” 

580. Sidehill. —The better form is hillside. 

581. Since for ago. —Say ‘He visited us about two weeks ago (not 
since).* 



THE RIGHT WORD 


89 


582. Snigger. —The better form of this word is “snicker/' meaning a 
suppressed laugh. 

583. So. —After a negative use so instead of as; thus, “We are not so 
happy as we seem." 

584. Some for somewhat. —Say ‘I am somewhat (not some ) tired.’ 

585. Some time and sometime. —In writing of an indefinite time, use 
sometime, but of a length of time, use some time; as, ‘I will tell you about 
it sometitne.’ Tt will take some time to finish.’ 

586. Sooner for rather. —Say ‘I would rather (not sooner ) go than not.’ 

587. Spake, spoke.— Spake sounds affected except in poetry. 

588. Splendid. —This word means possessing or displaying splendor; 
shining; being brilliant; hence, it is proper to speak of ‘a splendid sunset/ 
“a splendid diamond," but incorrect to speak of “a splendid cup of coffee,’’ 
“a splendid apple," or to say that anything is done splendidly. To say “per¬ 
fectly splendid" is still worse. 

589. Splurge.—Say “a great display.’’ 

590. State for say. —If a man merely says a thing, let us say that he 
says it, and not use the word “state." 

591. Stationary, stationery.— Stationary means standing still; as a sta¬ 
tionary engine—one which does not travel about. Stationery refers to pens, 
ink, paper, etc. These things were formerly sold by a stationer who occupied 
a station or stall in a market house. There is no danger of confusion in the 
meaning of these words, but the spelling should be watched carefully. 

592. Stop and stay— Stop means ‘to halt, quit going;’ stay, ‘to remain 
at a place for a length of time.’ A train may stop at each station, but the 
length of time it stays will probably vary. Do not speak of stopping at a 
hotel for several days or weeks. Stop is instantaneous; stay may continue 
indefinitely. 

593. Such a for so is a common error. Say ‘I never saw so large an 
apple.’ 

594. Such another should be transposed. Say another such. 

595. Sundown. —The better form is sunset. 

596. Sure and certain. —These words should not be used together, for 
when so used one or the other is superfluous. Sure is compounded with 
other words; as, sure-iooted. Certain is not so used. 

597. Swell.— Do not use this word as an adjective; as, “A swell dinner.’’ 
For a noun say, “A showy person." “A swell on the sea," is correct. 

598. Table-board, if not incorrect, is a droll combination of words, for 
‘board’ and ‘table’ in this sense mean practically the same. 

599. Take is incorrectly used for charge after ‘how much’ in such ex- 



LETTER WRITING 


90 


pressions as “How much will you take?' It is misused for lead or direct in 
such sentences as “This road will take you to town.” 

600. Talk for speak. —Say ‘He speaks (not talks) German.’ 

601. Tastefully is better than tastily; as, She was tastefully dressed. 

602. Team, span.—Two horses driven together make a span. Two or 
more horses constitute a team; but the word “team” or “span” does not in¬ 
clude the vehicle. “One-horse team" is incorrect. Team also applies to men; 
as, “football team.” 

603. Teaspoonfuls is correct; not ‘teaspoonsful.’ 

604. Terrible.—This word should never be used in such expressions as 
“I am in a terrible hurry.” 

605. That for so. —Say, “He was so modest,” not “He was that modest.” 

606. Their.—Never use their with a singular antecedent; as, “Every 
person who wishes their name recorded, etc.;” “No student should fail to 
prepare their lesson;” “The chorister said, ‘Each singer should hold their 
book low enough, etc.’ ” Such errors as these are heard often because, no 
doubt, our language has no third person singular pronoun that is common 
gender, and to say, “his or her” sounds awkward. In all such cases use his 
to represent both genders, for his represents mankind and, therefore, in¬ 
cludes both men and women. If all the persons referred to are women, use 
her; as, “Every member of the Sorosis should bring her certificate.” 

607. Therefore, so. —In the sense of ‘for this reason,’ therefore is 
preferable to so, since so has other meanings. 

608. Thick. —Do not use this word for “intimate.” 

609. This and that are adjectives, not adverbs. Do not say “this long,” 
or (, that far.” Say “So long,” and “so far.” 

610. To fellowship. —Say “to associate.” 

611. Together is superfluous after talk, converse, correspond, connect, 
unite, and similar words; as, “We talked together over the matter.” 

612. Too much. —“It is not best to eat too much before going to bed.” 
Of course it is not best to eat too much at any time. “Too much dissipation 
caused his death.” Any dissipation is too much. 

613. To rattle.—Better say “to confuse,” “to disconcert.” 

614. Transpire for happen or take place. —If the phrase ‘leak out’ (be¬ 
come known) can be put in place of the word transpire in the sentence, its use 
is correct. If the phrase ‘take place’ can be substituted without changing the 
meaning of the sentence, its use is wrong. 

615. Try for make. —Say ‘ Make (not try) the experiment.’ 

616. Turn for pour. —Say 'Pour (not turn) the coffee.’ 



THE RIGHT WORD 




617. Unique should not be compared, for it means the only one of its 
kind. If a thing is unique, another cannot be more unique. 

618. Unison, unity.— Unison means agreement or harmony, and applies 
usually to musical sounds. Unity is a broader term, meaning a state of one¬ 
ness, and may be applied wherever two or more things are united; as, unity 
of purpose; unity of effort; unity of God. 

619. United States is singular; as, “The United States is a republic." 

620. Vacant, empty.—Say, “a vacant lot;" “a vacant space;" “a vacant 
chair." Apply empty to vessels of capacity; as, “an empty barrel;" “an empty 
bin." 

621. Variate.—Do not use this word for “vary." 

622. Veracity and truth.— Veracity is applicable to persons only; truth, 
to things. We may doubt the truth of a story because we doubt the veracity 
or truthfulness of the teller. 

623. Verdict, testimony.—A verdict is a decision made by a number of 
men acting as a single body; testimony is an expression of individual knowl¬ 
edge or belief. Say, “Mr. Jones’ testimony (not verdict) is, that hunting is a 
dangerous pastime." 

624. Very.—When very is used with a verb as an intensive, “much" or 
its equivalent should be used with it; as “I was very much pleased to receive, 
etc.;" not “I was very pleased, etc." 

625. Visitant.—Say “visitor." 

626. Went, gone.—Never use ‘went’ after ‘have;’ say ‘He went / or ‘He 
would have gone.’ 

627. What for, why.—When asking a reason, say “why;” as, “ Why did 
you come?" not “ What for did you come?" In asking the use or purpose, 
say what for; as, " What is this board for?" 

628. Whether calls for an alternative “or,” and if no alternative is to 
be expressed, then the negative “or not” should be used; as, “I came to see 
whether John would go or stay." “Did you see whether or not the note was 
dated?” When it is desired not to express the alternative use “if” instead 
of “whether;” as, “I came to see if John would go home with me;’ not, “I 
came to see whether John would go home with me.” 

629. Which, who, or whom.—Say ‘The man whom you saw,’ but of an 
animal ‘The horse which you saw.’ Who, whose, whom refer to persons; 
which, to things or animals. 

630. Whole is superfluous after ‘throughout’ in “Throughout his whole 
life he was consistent." 

631. Who for whom.—Say ‘Do you know to whom this cane belongs?' 
not “Do you know who this cane belongs to?" Do not use the subject form 
who for the object form whom. 




92 


LETTER WRITING 


632. Widow woman.— Widow means a woman who has lost her hus¬ 
band and has not married again; hence, the word ‘woman’ after it is super¬ 
fluous. 

633. Wisdom, knowledge.—" Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.” 

634. Without for unless.—Say ‘They would not come unless (not with¬ 
out) we made them a definite offer.’ Except is also sometimes similarly 
misused for ‘unless.’ 

635. Witness for see or behold.— Witness means to attest, or bear testi¬ 
mony from personal knowledge; therefore, we may witness a deed, be an eye 
witness, etc., but should not speak of having witnessed a game of ball. 

636. Worse for more.—Say ‘I want to see him more (not worse ) than 
ever.' 

INVENTION, STYLE, DICTION 

The knowledge of words is the gate of Scolarship— Wilson 

637. To use language effectively in either business or social 
correspondence, it is necessary to comply with the same rules and 
principles of grammar and rhetoric that would be required in a 
discourse, or any other kind of composition on the same subject, 
and covering the same range of facts. “What to say” and “How 
to say it” is determined by three processes in composition, viz., 
1. Invention . 2. Style. 3. Diction. 

638. Invention.—In every business transaction or social event 
there are certain essential facts which must be discovered and recog¬ 
nized in their true relations to each other. The recognition of 
these facts and relations enables us to determine what to say, and 
is called Invention. 

639. Style.—The subject matter having thus been determined, 
we next consider what manner of expression would be the most 
suitable to the occasion,—whether gay or serious; brief or terse, 
or more extended; strong and forcible, or in a milder vein. Some 
letters require severe and emphatic expression; some may be humor¬ 
ous, others affectionate, and, alas, some letters require the expres¬ 
sion of sorrow and anguish, or the tenderest sympathy. The adapt¬ 
ability of the language used to the expression of the thought in¬ 
volved is called Style. 



INVENTION 


93 


640. Diction.—Our language is so rich in forms expressive 
of the same thought or sentiment, that, after determining what to 
say, and in what manner or style to say it, we have yet to decide 
just what words are most appropriate, most forcible, most pre¬ 
cise, most suitable in every way to express the thoughts desired in 
the style desired. The selection of the right words to use in any 
given case is called Diction. 

641. The preceding chapter on “The Right Word” covers the 
subject of Diction. Style is exemplified in the model letters given 
under each head in the classification of Business Letters. 

642. To epitomize, 

Invention is the Thought. 

Style is the Manner of Expression. 

Diction is the right use of the right Words to express that 
thought in that manner. 

643. All composition has these (and only these) essential ele¬ 
ments. The prattle of a child or the learned discourse of the most 
eminent divine consists of Thought, Style, and Diction. A business 
letter is, therefore, no exception. 

INVENTION 

644. The term Invention, as used in composition, means find¬ 
ing out what to say. It is the discovery or development of the 
thought, considered aside from the manner of expression. The 
development of thought power extends over the whole field of 
education and experience. Before one can write about business, 
or any other subject, one must know the facts and relations of that 
subject. 

645. Invention does not undertake to teach these facts and re¬ 
lations, but rather to enable the student to select from the knowl¬ 
edge which he already possesses the thoughts needed for a given 
occasion. 

646. As to difficulty, Invention varies from the simplest ideas 
about familiar objects to the most profound investigation of ab- 




94 


LETTER WRITING 


stract subjects. On the whole, Invention is considered more diffi¬ 
cult than Style. 

647. As to importance, Invention is far above Style. It is 
certainly more important to have something valuable and interesting 
to say, even though it be imperfectly expressed, than to say trifling 
things in the most faultless forms of Style and Diction. 

KINDS OF COMPOSITION 

648. For the purposes of Invention, composition may be di¬ 
vided into eight classes: (1) Objects Simply, (2) Transactions, 
(3) Abstract Qualities, (4) Imaginary Subjects, (5) Personal 
Narrative, (6) Description, (7) Exposition, (8) Argument. 

649. In Letter Writing all of these kinds of composition are 
often combined, except, perhaps, the fourth; but the body of a 
letter i9 neither more nor less than a composition about some object 
of merchandise or manufacture; or some transaction of a business 
or social nature; or the abstract qualities of employees or friends; 
or an imaginary scheme which is proposed for realization; or a 
narrative of personal acts or events; or a minute or technical 
description of persons or things; or an exposition of some complex 
thought which requires analysis; or an argument to convince some 
one s judgment, and influence his opinion. 

650. Now, the same method of instruction that will enable a 
student to write a good composition of any of these kinds will 
enable him to write a good letter of any of these kinds, or a good 
letter which embraces several of these kinds, as many letters do. 

HOW TO SYSTEMATIZE THOUGHT 

651. If a letter is obscure, or confusing, or incomplete, or 
imperfect in any respect, it is not necessarily because the writer is 
ignorant. It may be that the writer knows all about the subject 
in hand, but does not know how to systematize his knowledge, and 
thus express his thoughts in natural or logical order. 



TOPICAL MEMORANDUM 


95 


TOPICAL MEMORANDUM 

652. As an aid to systematizing one’s thoughts, it is well for 
inexperienced writers to first make a Topical Memorandum of what 
the letter should contain. These topics may be jotted down just as 
they happen to occur to the mind, and then be numbered in the 
order in which it is, upon further consideration, thought best to 
treat them. 

653. Suppose, for example, that after reading a certain letter 
pertaining to certain transactions, it is decided to 

7. Order more goods— 

a. Paper. 

b. Twine. 

c. Cartons. 

4 . Pay $50 on account. 

3. Accept draft for $25. 

5. Ask extension of 30 days’ time on balance. 

9. Express thanks for advice as to market. 

10. Inquire about Real Estate. 

1. Acknowledge receipt of corrected statement, $118.40. 

8. Enclose samples of twine. 

2. Express thanks for confidence in our credit. 

6. Regret inability to pay all. 

11. Prospect of better business. 

654. Having written these topics in this promiscuous fashion 
(but without the numbers), a moment’s reflection will enable us to 
decide on the best order in which to take up and dispose of them 
in our letter. We then number the topics in the order in which we 
desire to take them up, and, with the mind in possession of all 
the facts needed in the case, we are ready to dictate something like 
the following: 




96 


LETTER WRITING 


Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 4, 1912. 

Messrs. Powell & DuPont, 

Niagara Falls, N. Y. 

Gentlemen: 

We are in receipt of your favor of the 3d inst., en¬ 
closing corrected statement of balance of our account, $118.40, 
and expressing so kindly your confidence in our integrity. We 
assure you that we appreciate fully the generous attitude which 
you have maintained toward us, notwithstanding you have been 
under the necessity of asking us repeatedly for the money we 
owe you, and which you doubtless need. 

We return herewith, accepted, your draft on us at ten days 
for $25, favor of Mintz & Washburn, Buffalo, N. Y. We enclose 
also our check No. 8372, for $50 to apply on account, leaving 
balance due you of $43.40, which we trust we shall be able to 
pay within the next 30 days. We regret our inability to pay our 
account in full, and hope that the extension of another 30 days 
on this small balance will not put you to any serious incon¬ 
venience. 

Our shipping clerk reports that we will soon be in need of 
more Paper, Twine, and Cartons, as per enclosed order, which 
we trust you will fill at the former terms: on account, at 60 
days. Samples of the twine desired are also enclosed. 

We thank you for your advice as to the rising condition of 
the market, especially on paper, but we do not feel that we ought 
to buy heavily of these supplies when we are behind with our 
payments. It is very generous of you to suggest it. 

We have long been thinking of opening a branch office in 
either Tonawanda or Niagara Falls, through which to handle 
more conveniently our Canadian trade. If you know of a suit¬ 
able location which you think is about what we would need, we 
should greatly appreciate any information you might feel dis¬ 
posed to give us concerning it. 

Our prospects for the fall trade are brightening daily, and 
we feel that you may confidently expect to number us among 
your cash customers before the close of another season. 

Again thanking you for your kindness, and awaiting the ar¬ 
rival of the goods herein ordered, we remain, 

Yours very truly, 

Ernest Kaiser & Co. 

(4 inclosures) 




CLASSIFICATION OF LETTERS 


97 


655. In the foregoing letter, it will be seen that the topics 
have all been treated with sufficient fullness, each in the order of 
its number in the memorandum, sometimes two or more in the same 
sentence, and with only those which are closely related included in 
the same paragraph. Even an experienced writer is not likely to 
treat systematically a dozen Or more items in a complex letter, 
without some such preliminary scheme as this topical analysis pre¬ 
sents. Of course on very familiar matters, the mind soon becomes 
able to carry out such a scheme mentally, selecting the topics in the 
order in which they should be treated, and disposing of them as 
fast as they are mentally determined. But if we should take the 
best letter ever dictated by a manager or corresponding secretary 
of long experience, and analyze and classify the contents of that 
letter, we should discover that the writer had in mind a systematic 
synopsis which he followed in the development of the letter, and 
without which the letter would be lacking in the very thing which 
now constitutes its chief ground of excellence. 

656. With this illustration of a working Method which may 
be so applied to all kinds of letters as to insure correct Invention, 
we now proceed to classify the subject of Letter Writing on the 
basis of the aim and purpose of the letter to be written. 

Only Business Letters are included in this classification. 


Business Letters 


1 Letters of Introduction. 

2 Letters of Application. 

3 Letters Pertaining to Credit. 

4 Letters of Recommendation. 

5 Letters Acknowledging Payment. 

6 Letters Ordering Goods. 

7 Letters Acknowledging Orders. 

8 Letters Enclosing Remittance. 

9 Letters Enclosing Invoice. 

10 Letters Asking Payment. 

11 Letters of Blackmail. 

12 Letters of Inquiry and Information. 

13 Letters to the Trade. (Circular Letters.) 

14 Letters to the Public. 

15 Letters of Congratulation. 

. 16 Letters of Sympathy and Condolence. 


Note.—No classification of business letters can be made so exhaustive as to include 
every phase of commercial life, without exceeding any reasonable limit' of space; but 
the sixteen classes here given will be found amply sufficient for general use. 





98 


LETTER WRITING 


657. In a very large business the office work is sufficiently 
subdivided to assign the writing of each kind of letter to a different 
department. Each letter sent out by such a firm would be strictly 
one or another of these kinds. In a smaller business two or more 
of these branches of correspondence must be combined, and in 
many cases all are combined, and all kinds of letters are dictated 
by the same manager or secretary. Even though the same secre¬ 
tary dictates all kinds of letters, he may classify them just as 
rigidly as though each class of letters was dictated in a separate 
office. This is not often done, however. Neither is it necessary. 
With proper paragraphing, a letter may be miscellaneous in kind, 
and yet be a good letter—not a good letter of one kind only, but 
a good letter of all the kinds represented in its make-up. In some in¬ 
stances it is doubtless best to do as suggested in Paragraph 58, write 
two or more separate letters, though all are to be enclosed in the 
same envelope. 

658. For purposes of instruction, we shall consider these six¬ 
teen kinds of letters separately, and about in the order here named, 
although there is no logical reason why the order might not be 
varied somewhat. After becoming familiar with the Style and 
Invention suited to each kind separately, the student will easily 
pass to such combinations of these kinds as will meet the require¬ 
ments of the business correspondence covering a series of complex 
commercial transactions. 

Records of successive transactions will then be given, the 
student being asked to write all the letters called for by the con¬ 
ditions included in those transactions. 


LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION 

659. A LETTER OF introduction is one written for the pur¬ 
pose of introducing a person to a friend or acquaintance, and is 
commonly used only when a personal introduction is inconvenient. 
There are two kinds of letters of introduction, social and business . 



LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION 


99 


The following general suggestions will apply to both classes: 

660. Be careful whom you introduce.—Do not introduce any 
one socially, with whom you think your friend would not like to 
associate. By introducing an improper person to a business ac¬ 
quaintance you may do the latter a great injustice. 

661. Should be short.—Letters of introduction should be 
short, as they are usually delivered in person, and it is embarrass- 
ing to wait for the reading of a long letter. 

662. Praise. One may use the language of cordial friend¬ 
ship, but extravagant eulogy is out of place in written as well as 
oral introductions. It is possible to do your friend an injustice by 
0Ver ^ a ? 1Sing as wel1 aS ky f ailin g to state his real merits. 

663. Should not be sealed.—A letter of introduction should 
always be delivered unsealed to the one introduced, that he may 
see its contents if he so desires. 

_ A Business Letter of Introduction 



Messrs. A. Burt & Co.» November 4, 1912. 

St. Louis, Mo. 

Gentlemen:—This will introduce to you our friend and 
former bookkeeper, Mr. Chas. D. Ranney, who visits your city to engage 
in the hardware fctlsiness. He is a capable, energetio, honorable gentle¬ 
man, and will, we are confident, be very successful in his new venture. 

Any courtesies you may show him will be duly appreciated by 
Yours very truly, 

CLEVELAND CLIFFS IRON CO. 

By 

President and Treasurer. 









100 


LETTER WRITING 


664. The superscription.—The envelope address of a letter 
of introduction is the same as if it were sent by mail, except that 

the words, ‘Introducing- - are written in the lower left corner, 

as on the envelope in Model 6, page 39. 

665. Delivery.—The most formal way to deliver a letter of 
introduction is to send it to the person to whom it is addressed, 
with the name and address of the person introduced. The former 
should then call on the latter and offer his hospitality. 

In most cases, however, especially if it be a business letter of introduction, 
the bearer presents the letter in person. Care should be taken to present it at 
a time when it will cause the least inconvenience to the person addressed. 

666. As a rule, it is not considered that a letter of introduc¬ 
tion requires an answer, but if the person to whom the letter is 
written is very favorably impressed with the person who is intro¬ 
duced, it would be a special mark of courtesy to answer about as 
follows: 


St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 7, 1912. 

The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., 

Cleveland, Ohio. 

Gentlemen: 

You have done us an honor by introducing to us 
your former bookkeeper, Mr. Chas. D. Ranney, who presented 
your letter in person this morning. 

We were very favorably impressed with his frank and agree¬ 
able personality, and we feel that you were certainly warranted 
in commending him to our acquaintance. We have already ar¬ 
ranged to give him the benefit of our influence in certain matters 
connected with his new venture. We take great pleasure in doing 
this for his own sake, as well as from the realization that you 
are our friends. 

Truly yours, 

A. Burt & Co. 


EXERCISE 6 

1. Write a letter to J. C. Palmer, Erie, Pa., introducing F. S. Collins, a 
physician of your town, and a recent graduate of Western Reserve Medical 
College, Cleveland, O. Mr. Collins has been a life-long acquaintance of 
yours, and visits Erie with a view to beginning the practice of medicine 
there. Mr. Palmer is Mayor of Erie. 






LETTERS OF APPLICATION 


101 


2. You live in Indianapolis, Ind. Your friend William A. Maxwell, 486 
W. Fourth St., Cincinnati, Ohio, has asked you if you know of a good sales¬ 
man for automobile supplies. You have learned that Sylvester Thompson, a 
friend of yours, is looking for such a situation. You know that Mr. 
Thompson is an efficient and trustworthy salesman, and has had two years’ 
experience with the Moore Supply Co., of Dayton, Ohio. Write a letter 
introducing Mr. Thompson to Mr. Maxwell. 

3. Write a letter from Mr. Maxwell to yourself, acknowledging receipt 
of your letter introducing Mr. Thompson, and thanking you for sending a 
man so well qualified for the position. 

4. Write a letter from Mr. Thompson to yourself thanking you for 
your influence in securing for him a position so agreeable and permanent. 
Mention the courteous treatment received from Mr. Maxwell, which Mr. 
Thompson believes is due to your kind letter of introduction. 


LETTERS OF APPLICATION 

667. By this heading we mean letters applying for employ¬ 
ment. In such a letter, state your qualifications clearly, modestly, 
and in a business-like tone. Answer all particulars mentioned in 
the advertisement. Do not send the originals of testimonials in 
applying for a situation, but copy each testimonial on a separate 
sheet, marked “Copy” at the top of the page. As the success of the 
applicant often depends entirely upon his letter, careful attention 
should be given to the following: 

668. Should be carefully written.—The writer’s letter of 
application is often the only evidence of his fitness for a position; 
therefore, great care should be taken in the writing and in the word¬ 
ing of the letter. Numerous advertisements seen in the papers close 
with the words, “Apply in your own handwriting,” showing the 
importance that business men place upon good penmanship. Read 
your letter over carefully before sending, and if you see any way 
in which the wording might be improved, or find a single mistake, 
the letter should by all means be re-written. 

669. Your success in securing the place may depend upon 
slight extra trouble on your part in writing the letter. If the 
position is an important one, you will be almost sure to fail in 
securing it, unless your letter of application is carefully written. 





102 


LETTER WRITING 


670. Wording of the letter.—The applicant should usually 
state what his education has been; what experience he has had in 
business if any; his age, habits, qualifications, etc., and give any 
general information concerning himself which he thinks would 
interest the person addressed. It is well to enclose copies of 
letters of recommendation, if he have such. While the applicant 
should state his qualifications clearly, it is equally important that 
he state them modestly as well. 

A Specimen Letter of Application 


Washington, D. C., Jan. 2, 1912. 

Mr. E. R. Harvey, 

City. 

Dear Sir:—In reply to your advertisement in this 
morning’s Star, I hereby apply for a position in your office. I 
am eighteen years old and a graduate of our High School, and 
the Spencerian Business College. 

I can refer you, by permission, to the principal of either 
school; also to Mr. C. A. Frost, in whose office I was employed 
one year, and a copy of whose testimonial I enclose herewith. 
Hoping to receive a favorable answer, I am, 

Very respectfully, 

Charles Deering. 

Inclosure. 


EXERCISE 7. 

1. Write a Letter of Application in answer to the following advertise¬ 
ment in the Chicago Tribune: 


Wanted —A young man as assistant 
bookkeeper in a wholesale grocery. 
Must answer in own handwriting. 
References required. Address Box 
10 . 


2. Apply for the following position advertised in the Buffalo Courieri 


Wanted —Young woman for cashier 
in department store. Must have 
experience and A1 recommenda¬ 
tion. Box 24. 


3. Apply for the following position advertised in the Pittsburg Dispatch: 


Wanted —Stenographer to take depo¬ 
sitions, do filing, and keep small 
set of books in a law office. Box 










LETTERS OF CREDIT 


103 


LETTERS OF CREDIT 

AND LETTERS PERTAINING TO CREDIT 

671. A letter of credit is one in which the writer lends 
credit to another; that is, he guarantees the payment of a certain 
sum in case the person asking credit fails to pay. 

672. In Style, it closely resembles a letter of introduction. 
The model below is a good sample of letters of this class. 

Specimen Letter of Credit. 


CAPITAL $ 500,000. SURPLUS $ 185.000. 



CLEVELAND,O. 


Sept. 8, 1912. 

Messrs. Root & MoBride Bros., 

Cleveland, 0. 

Gentlemen:—Please allow the bearer, Mr. James C. 
Ranney, credit* for any goods he may wish, to an amount not exceeding 
§1,500, on four months' time, and I will be responsible to you for the 
prompt payment of the same. 

Should he make any purchases of you on account of this letter, 
please notify me of the amount, and in case of failure in payment of 
the account when due, notify me immediately. 

Yours truly, 

Mr. Ranney's signature.* 


*If the bearer is not known to the party of whom credit is asked, the letter should 
contain his signature. 

673. There is also a banking form called a “Letter of Credit,” 
which is used by travelers in foreign countries. That form does 
not pertain to Letter Writing. 







104 


LETTER WRITING 


674. Letters Pertaining to Credit.—Comparatively speaking, 
very little of the world’s business is done on a cash basis. Large 
transactions almost invariably have some element of credit in them. 
The manufacturer buys material on credit, and sells the manufac¬ 
tured articles on credit to the wholesaler, who, in turn, extends 
credit to the retailer. The consumer receives credit from the 
retailer, and pays him in monthly installments from the wages 
received from the manufacturer, or the producer of raw material, 
or the merchant, or any one to whom he has sold his labor on credit , 
thus completing the circuit. 

675. The extension of trade through the greater use of the 
mails, as alluded to on page 5, has increased the importance of 
Letter Writing in general, and in a special sense, the mail business 
is the creator of the conditions which call for Letters Pertaining 
to Credit. 

676. When an order is received from a new customer, the 
first thing to be done is to look up that would-be customer’s credit. 
If he is not quoted in Dun’s or Bradstreet’s, we immediately write 
to some one for information. Of whom to ask and how to ask, 
belong under the head of Letters of Inquiry, but the answers to 
letters of this character are Letters Pertaining to Credit, and are 
closely related to Letters of Credit, a sample of which has been 
given. 

677. Suppose that you, a banker, or merchant, or lawyer, in 
Rochester, N. Y., have just received a letter from Carl D. Wright 
& Son, Toronto, Ont., inquiring as to the standing of J. S. Eberly, 
a retail dealer in flour and feed in your city, who has asked them 
for credit. Suppose, also, that you happen to know that Eberly 
has been buying part of his supplies from The Flour City Milling 
Co. of Rochester, and that they have been unable to get a satis¬ 
factory settlement with him, and will not extend any further credit 
to him. Also, that he sells on credit to many people who make a 
practice of “beating” their way through life. Now, whether Mr. 
Eberly is a personal friend of yours, or an entire stranger your 
answer to this letter from Carl D. Wright & Son must necessarily 
be unfavorable to Mr. Eberly. Wright & Son are relying upon 



105 


LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION 


you for an unbiased opinion, but, in turn, you have a right to rely 
upon Wright & Son for strict secrecy as to what you may say 
about Mr. Eberly s financial responsibility, or his general reputa¬ 
tion in the business community. Nevertheless, it is best in making 
an unfavorable report, not to mention Mr. Eberly’s name, but so 
to word your letter that if it should fall into the hands of other 
parties, it could not be used in a way to injure you in the estima¬ 
tion of Mr. Eberly’s friends, nor to injure Mr. Eberly unduly. 

EXERCISE 8 

1. Write a letter to Carl D. Weight & Son, Toronto, Ont., reporting 
unfavorably on Mr. Eberly’s standing, assigning such reasons as are given 
above, and so wording your letter that only the writer of the letter ycu are 
answering will know to whom your letter refers. 

2. Write a letter to Carl D. Wright & Son, giving a favorable report 
of Mr. Eberly, and supplying good and substantial reasons therefor. In 
this letter you may mention Mr. Eberly’s name freely. 


LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION 

•678. A recommendation is sometimes given in a letter of 
introduction, but is generally a separate letter. Great care should 
be exercised in giving letters of recommendation. Do not recom¬ 
mend any one too highly and never recommend an unworthy person; 
innocent persons may suffer by placing confidence in what is said 
in a letter that over-praises. 

679. The value of a letter of recommendation depends largely 
upon the character and standing of the writer, and the letter should 
show on its face that it is written with perfect candor, and that the 
writer is impartial in his opinions. One who has already gained the 
confidence of others in his good judgment, will not, of course, risk 
losing that confidence by recommending unworthy persons or speak¬ 
ing too highly of others. Kind-hearted persons often do themselves 
great injury rather than refuse to give a letter of recommendation, 
or by failing to state the exact facts. A too highly colored letter 
of recommendation not only injures the one who writes it, through 
the loss of confidence in him, of which it is pretty sure to be the 






106 


LETTER WRITING 


cause, but rarely, if ever, really benefits the person in whose favor 
it is written. No one should expect or ask for more in a letter of 
recommendation, and it ought to be the pride of every man who 
writes such a letter, to feel that his letter will have weight because 
it is known that he commends only the deserving and the com¬ 
petent, and recommends truthfully. 

680. Recommendations may be special or general. Special 
Letters of Recommendation are addressed like ordinary letters, to 
some person, while the other class should be addressed in a general 
way “To whom it may concern,” or “To the public,” etc. 

The following are examples of the two classes: 

A Special Letter of Recommendation. 


Mr. E. A. Hammond, 


The Lindner Golf 






E. Misutfo Street Rear Euclid Avenue 



January 14, 1912. 


Chicago, Ill. 

Dear Sir: 


The bearer of this letter. Miss Mildred Humphreys, visits 
your city to find employment as an amanuensis. She has been with us 
during the past three years, has given excellent satisfaction, and only 
leaves our employment because she has friends in Chicago, and prefers a 
residence in that city. 

Miss Humphreys writes shorthand rapidly, and makes an excellent 
transcript on the typewriter. 

If you can aid her in seouring employment, it will be a special 
favor to us as well as to her. 


Very truly yours. 




LETTERS ACKNOWLEDGING PAYMENT 


10; 


A General Letter of Recommendation 


New Orleans, La., July 1, 1912. 

To whom it may concern: 

This is to certify that Mr. Charles A. Scott has been in our 
employment during the past three years. He is a faithful, hard 
working, and reliable young man, and we take pleasure in recom¬ 
mending him to anyone in need of such services as he can render. 

Respectfully, 

John C. Brown & Co. 


EXERCISE 9 

1. Write a general letter recommending S. A. Harter as a book¬ 
keeper. State that he has been employed in your counting room for 
five years, has been industrious, capable, and accurate, and that you be¬ 
lieve he has the tact to adapt himself readily to the peculiarities of any 
new business or system of accounting. Also, that he leaves your employ 
of his own accord, to go to the Pacific coast on account of his wife’s health. 

2. Write a special letter recommending Miss Agnes Chamberlain as 
a stenographer, to fill a vacancy which she has applied for in the office of 
The J. O. Blake Co. of Ft. Wayne, Ind. Miss Chamberlain has been in 
your employe for six years, filling a difficult position satisfactorily, and 
leaves because you are about to remove your business from Ft. Wayne to 
Chicago. State also, that Miss Chamberlain has an exceptional faculty of 
gaining and holding the friendship and respect of her associates, and that 
she naturally acts as a peacemaker among those who are disposed to be 
quarrelsome. State that in your office this trait in her character has proved 
of inestimable value. 


letters acknowledging payment 

681. A receipt should always be sent for money or any kind 
of payment received in a letter. This receipt may be embodied in 
a letter, or it may be separate; in either case, the amount received 
should be stated, and also, the account or thing for which it was 
received. The receipt, of course, should be sent promptly, that 
one may know his remittance has been received. 







108 


LETTER WRITING 


Specimen Letter Acknowledging Payment 



Dec, 1, 1512, 


"^HE 


Messrs. Samuel Morgan & Co,, 

San Franoisco, Calif, 

Gentlemen: 

Your favor of the 25th ult., enolosing New York draft for 
§26.30 in payment of your aooount, came duly to hand. 

Thanking you for promptness in remitting, and hoping to receive 
further orders from you, we are. 

Very respectfully yours, 

THE REDIFOR ROD AND REEL CO. 

By -i 

Manager. 

682. Brevity vs. Terseness.—Business Letters of all kinds 
should be concise, or terse , in diction, and the word “brevity” is 
often used as synonymous with these terms. A letter is not concise 
or terse because it is short, and brevity is no advantage if obtained 
at the expense of clearness, or completeness. A letter is concise 
when it has given all the information desired, without the use of 
superfluous words, or the mention of extraneous matter. Greater 
brevity can be obtained by omitting some of the features which are 
essential to completeness, but then the letter would not be concise. 
(See Preface.) 








LETTERS ACKNOWLEDGING PAYMENT 


109 


683. Without due attention to completeness, the beginner, 
aiming at brevity, is likely to word the preceding letter about as 
follows: 

Warren, O., Dec. 1, 1912. 

Messrs. Samuel Morgan & Co., 

San Francisco, Calif. 

Gentlemen: Yours received. Have given you credit for amount 
enclosed. Respectfully, 

Redifor Rod and Reel Co. 

684. Of course 'Morgan & Co. must go to their files and look 
up the previous correspondence to discover what this letter means, 
as, taken by itself, it means nothing at all. To be terse, we must 
say little that means much. We may be brief by saying little, but 
that little may mean practically nothing. 

685. Many business houses have a printed blank on which to 
acknowledge receipt. This is not in the form of a “receipt,” but 
in the form of a letter with blank spaces for the amount, date, and 
kind of payment. 

The following is such a form: 


.19.... 

M. 


Dear Sir: 

Your favor of the .... enclosing. 

for $.in payment of.. duly received. 

Thanking you for promptness in remitting, and soliciting 
your further orders, we remain, 

Yours very respectfully, 


686. It is only in a very large business where it is necessary 
to write scores of such letters every day, that it is advisable to use 
such a form for this purpose. 

687. When a remittance is accompanied by a bill or statement, 
one may receipt and return that bill or statement, without sending 
any letter with it. 











110 


LETTER WRITING 


688. This is especially the case in doing business with public 
officers, as their remittances are always accompanied by vouchers 
to be signed and returned. 

EXERCISE 10 

1. Acknowledge receipt of Check No. 4037, from A. B. Copeland, 
Omaha, Neb., for $683.41, sent yesterday, received today, to apply on note 
$670 and interest $13.41. 

2. Acknowledge receipt from S. A. Wheeler & Co., Louisville, Ky., of 
N. Y. draft for $434.50 in full of account to July 31, 1912. Wheeler & Co.’s 
letter dated Sept. 4, 1912, and received Sept. 5, 1912. 

3. Acknowledge receipt of 50 cents in postage stamps received from 
Mrs. Anna C. Groat, Anderson, Ind., for balance on patterns sent her by 
mail last month. Her letter dated June 4/12; received June 6/12. 

LETTERS ORDERING GOODS 

689. A letter ordering goods should contain very few 
words, except the order, unless there are some special instruc¬ 
tions to be given. The order may be embraced in the body of the 
letter, or may be written on a separate sheet. If the list of goods 
be written in the letter, it is well to make a separate line for each 
item, indenting these lines and keeping the margin straight, as in 
the following model: 

Specimen Letter Ordering Goods 


Detroit, Mich., Oct. 1, 1912. 

American Book Co., 

806 Broadway, 

New York, N. Y. 

Gentlemen:—Send at once, by American Express, the following 
bill of goods: 

25 sets Spencerian New Standard Copy Slips, 

50 gross Spencerian Pens No. 1, in gross boxes. 

4 gross Oblique Penholders. 

Please bill at 60 days, as heretofore. 

Yours very truly, 

John Jones. 




J, /f/2.. 












Vzz^tsO^/ „ £.<7.SV 


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c 'Sa^trv&sLs,, <f* 



C'^tez.^ {ybz / ^^7^z^iyY'^t?-7 




LETTERS ORDERING GOODS 


111 


690. In ordering any kind of goods, write distinctly just what 
is wanted, so that there may be no errors in filling your order. 
It is only by the greatest care in specifying the quantity, style, and 
quality of the goods you want, that you can throw all the re¬ 
sponsibility for mistake upon the one who makes up the shipment. 
Unless it is known from your previous orders the conveyance by 
which you wish the goods shipped, it is well to state your prefer¬ 
ence. 

691. Goods sent C. O .D.—Packages are often sent by ex¬ 

press, C. O. D. (collect on delivery). In such cases, the bill is 
payable to the Express Company on delivery of the goods. Pack¬ 
ages on which a small amount is to be collected, or packages to 
strangers, or to customers whose financial standing is in question, 
are often shipped in this way. Ordinarily the person receiving a 
C. O. D. package pays the express charges on the goods, and also 
pays for returning the money. The Express Company collects 
the return charges of the shipper, unless there is printed or written 
on the invoice, or envelope containing the same, the words ‘Collect 
return chargesor the word ‘and’ is written before the printed 
words “_Return charges.” 

EXERCISE 11 

1. Re-write the following letter, correcting all errors, and supplying 
definite information where needed: 

Elgin, May 2, 1912. 

Siegel, Cooper & Co., 

Chicago. 

Gentlemen:—Please send me right away a box of toilet soap, 
two dozen handkerchiefs, some paper, pens and ink, and a book written by 
Owen Meredith called Lucile, and I will pay you as soon as the things 
get here. Yours sincerely, 

Jane Jenkins. 

2. Order of Marshall Field & Co., Chicago, Ill., by U. S. Express, C. 
O. D. 2 Steamer Trunks size 42, Style 161; 2 Victoria Silk Umbrellas, Style 
H; 1 Doz. cakes Pear’s Soap; 1 copy “American Humor” by Mark Twain. 
Date your letter Jacksonville, Ill. 

3. Order of The W. P. Southworth Co., Cleveland, O., terms on a/c 60 
days as heretofore, ten articles of groceries in about such quantities as might 
be needed in a village general store. Write from West Salem, Wayne Co., 
O., goods to be shipped by freight over the Erie lines. 




112 


LETTER WRITING 


LETTERS ACKNOWLEDGING ORDERS 

692. When an order from a regular customer can be filled 
without delay, it is usually sufficient to send the invoice and ship¬ 
ping receipt by mail, the name of the transportation company 
being marked on the invoice. But when the goods cannot be 
shipped promptly, the receipt of the order should be acknowledged, 
explaining candidly the cause of delay, and stating truthfully 
when the goods will be ready for shipment. 

693. The first order from a new customer should receive 
special notice, and in acknowledging receipt of such order, always 
express the hope that you may be favored with further orders from 
the same source. 

Specimen Letter Acknowledging Order 


Youngstown, O., Mar. 4, 1912. 

The Trumbull Building Co., 

Warren, O. 

Gentlemen:—We are in receipt of your order No. 
63274, dated March 1st, and post-marked same day. This order 
has evidently been delayed three days since leaving Warren, 
probably through careless handling in the mail car. Several of 
our recent letters from Warren have been “carried by,” but 
were brought back from Pittsburg on next train. 

We have all the forms and sizes ordered in stock, except the 
3-inch Angle Iron, a large quantity of which is being finished 
off today. If we get the cars that are promised us, your ship¬ 
ment will go forward by B. & O. tomorrow afternoon. 

Trusting that there will be no further delay in our mails, 
and that we may confidently expect your future orders, we 
remain, 

Very truly yours, 

The Mahoning Valley Iron Co. 


LETTERS ENCLOSING A REMITTANCE 

694. It is not generally considered safe to enclose currency 
or silver in a letter. The more common ways of remitting are by 
bank draft, check, post office money order, express money order, 
and registered letter. 




LETTERS ENCLOSING REMITTANCE 


113 


695. Checks.—Most business houses, at the present day, pay 
nearly all of their local bills by bank checks. Checks were not sent 
to out of town correspondents formerly, as the receiver usually had 
to pay for their collection, but firms now remit their checks in pay¬ 
ment of bills to persons in all parts of the country, and the receiver 
deposits them the same as drafts, and usually without having to 
pay for their collection. 

696. Many banks issue what is known as “teller’s checks.” 
These are more acceptable to the receiver than a private check, 
because, in regard to security they are practically the same as a 
certified check. 

697. Drafts.—Bank drafts, usually New York or Chicago 
Exchange, may be purchased at your local bank, or will be issued to 
you free of charge by your own bank. This is perhaps the safest 
and most convenient way of remitting money. Banks do not like 
to issue drafts for sums less than $5, and for smaller amounts, 
post office or express money orders may be purchased, or currency 
may be sent by registered letter. 

698. To order.—A draft or check should always be made “to 
order,” unless the person to whom it is given makes a special 
request otherwise; it may then be made “to bearer,” to save him the 
trouble of identification. If the draft or check be made to order, it 
is necessary for the payee to endorse it before he can collect the 
same, and it then becomes to the payer a receipt for the amount. 

699. Folding the inclosure.—It is better to fold a draft, 
check, or money order with the letter; this makes the best fold for 
it, and it is not so likely to drop out unnoticed when the letter is 
opened. If the letter be on note paper, place the remittance length¬ 
wise of it before folding; if letter size, put the inclosure in after 
folding once, then give to both letter and inclosure the other two 
folds. 

700. Endorsement.—A draft or check should always be en¬ 
dorsed across the left end; then, as the bank clerk turns the paper 
over with his right hand, the endorsement is right side up and at 
the top of the check. If endorsed across the right side, the clerk 
will have to turn the check end for end to read the endorsement, 




114 


LETTER WRITING 



The above illustration shows how to enclose a Check, Draft, etc, in a Business Letter 


701. Money orders.—Money orders are issued by the post 
office department on all the principal post offices in the United 
States. For forms and rates, see pages 183 and 184. 


702. Express orders.—The express companies now issue 
money orders, payable either “to order” or “to bearer,” at the 
following rates: 


Not exceeding $5. 


$30 to $40. 


$ 5 to $10. 


40 to 50. 


10 to 20. 


50 to 60. 

.20 cts. 

20 to 30. 

.12 cts. 

60 to 75. 

.25 cts. 


$75 to $100.30 cts. 

703. Registered letters.—Registered mails reach every post 
office in the world. The fee for registering a letter or package to 
any post office in the United States is 10 cents, in addition to the 
postage. The postage.and fee for registering must be fully pre- 











































































LETTERS ENCLOSING REMITTANCE 


115 


paid. A receipt is given by the department for such letter or 
package; each employe through whose hands it passes, takes a 
receipt from the one to whom he delivers it; and a receipt from the 
person to whom the letter or package was directed reaches -the 
sender in due time. Sometimes letters are registered just for the 
purpose of getting a receipt from the one addressed, to know posi¬ 
tively that he received the letter. If the letter or article is addressed 
to a foreign country, no receipt showing delivery is returned to 
the sender, unless the words “Return Receipt Demanded” are 
written or printed across the face of the letter or parcel. Regis¬ 
tering is an inexpensive and comparatively safe method, employed 
most in sending valuable packages, and small sums of money to 
places that are not money order post offices. 

704. Money by telegraph.—Telegraph and express companies 
will telegraph their agents at any important city or village office, to 
pay money to a person specified. The rates are given on page 162. 

705. A letter with a remittance.—A remittance should al¬ 
ways be accompanied by a letter explaining how the remittance is 
to be applied, except when the amount is for payment of a bill 
which is enclosed. In such cases, a letter may be written, but 
if one is not, it will be understood for what purpose the remittance 
is made. 

706. Be careful in directing envelopes containing valuable 
papers. In one year 5,467,042 letters and packages opened at the 
dead letter office were found to contain money, drafts, checks, notes, 
postal notes, postage stamps, etc., to the amount of $1,384,563.21. 


Specimen Letter Enclosing Remittance 


Andover, 

Ashtabula Co., 0., 

The Herald, 

New York, N. Y. 

Nov. 6, 1912. 

Find enclosed post office 

money order for $1.00 to 

pay for the weekly “Herald” one year from Nov. 1st, 1912. 


Yours truly, 

Inclosure. 

Henry Adams. 




116 


LETTER WRITING 


707. The following letter should contain two inclosures, the 
draft and the bill. A similar form may be used for letters enclos¬ 
ing checks, money orders, express orders, etc. 


Messrs. Ranney & Raymond, 

Baltimore, Md., July 3, 1912. 

Boston, Mass. 

Gentlemen:—Inclosed 

find N. Y. draft for $3673 in 

full of our account. 

Please receipt and return the bill, and oblige, 

2 inclosures. 

Yours truly, 

John Jones. 


708. Every letter of enclosure should contain such a descrip¬ 
tion of the inclosures as will suffice to detect the error, should the 
wrong papers be enclosed, or any of them be omitted. 

The number of inclosures contained in a letter should be indi¬ 
cated at the lower left hand corner, as shown in these models. 
This will also be a guide to the one who folds and inserts the 
letters, so that no inclosure will be omitted. 

EXERCISE 12 

1. Write from Jamestown N. Y. a letter to Geo. A. Longstreet & Co., 
Elmira, N. Y., enclosing Teller’s Check on Citizens Trust Co. for $93.46 in 
payment of invoice, also enclosed, to be receipted and returned. 

2. Write from Nashville, Tenn., a letter enclosing N. Y. Draft for 

$-, to Queen City Foundry Co., Cincinnati, O., to pay their bill of $532.50 

at 60ds., 2% 10, the bill being dated Sept. 14, 1911, and your remittance 
being made Sept. 23, 1911. 

3. Write letter remitting $4.65 by registered mail to Mrs. Ora Conwell, 
Charleston, W. Va., to pay balance of account for boarding. Write from 
Moundsville, W. Va. 

LETTERS ENCLOSING INVOICE 

709. When goods are shipped, a letter or invoice or both, 
should always be mailed to the consignee. Unless special informa¬ 
tion is to be given, it is customary with most business men to mail 








4 < /f/2. , 





v 




LETTERS ENCLOSING INVOICE 


117 


simply the invoice of goods, and state thereon the name of the 
company by which the goods were shipped. Others enclose the 
invoice in a letter of one or two lines, similar to the following: 



MENRV T LOOMIS. 

LEROY M. LOOMIS, T»ca«u»c« 
HAROLD C. LOOMIS. StCIUUM 




LOOMIS BUILDING 
EUCLID AVENUE 
EIGHTEENTH ST 


Cleveland. Ohio 


Oct. 3, 1912. 


Mr. John Jones, 

Detroit, Mich. 
Dear Sir: 


Enclosed find invoice of books ordered by you on the 
1st inst., and shipped you today by American Express. 

Hoping they will reach you in good condition, and prove 
satisfactory, we are. 


Very truly youre. 

The Practical Text Book Company 



Secretary 


LETTERS ASKING PAYMENT 

710. The policy which is adopted by a business house in 
regard to Credits and Collections, will determine the tone and 
frequency of Letters Asking Payment. The nature of the policy 
best adapted to the needs of a given case depends upon two funda¬ 
mental conditions. (1) The financial strength of the house as a 
creditor; (2) The financial responsibility of the customer as a 
debtor. 

711. If the proprietors of a business have plenty of capital, 
they may be very lenient towards customers who are slow, but sure; 
but if the proprietors have only a small capital in proportion to the 
magnitude of their business, they will need to collect promptly 








118 


LETTER WRITING 


all that is due them; for to them a slow customer, however good, 
is worse than no customer. 

712. As to the customer, the question does not all depend 
upon his financial responsibility. Many a customer who is finan¬ 
cially irresponsible, so that a judgment against him could not be 
satisfied, is nevertheless a desirable customer, because he is honest 
and willing to pay his bills promptly, and is prosperous and does 
pay, though he has no property which could be levied upon to 
compel him to pay. Many another customer who is financially 
responsible, is an undesirable customer, because, though judgment 
could be satisfied without doubt, he is so slow and dilatory that the 
profit on his trade is all eaten up by the extra office work and 
attorneys’ fees necessary to realize on his account. 

713. Some customers are chronic “kickers.” They never pay 
a bill until, through a long series of complaints about shortage, 
or damage, or delay in shipping, or misunderstanding of price or 
quality, or some other imaginary ground of excuse, they have 
delayed payment so long that the creditor is willing to discount the 
bill heavily rather than be at further expense and delay to fight it 
out in the courts. 

714. The kind of business also affects the matter of collec¬ 
tions. Dealers in luxuries and dealers in the necessaries of life 
have very different classes of trade. Manufacturers and whole¬ 
salers and importers usually have only merchants for customers, 
but the retail merchants have the masses or consumers for cus¬ 
tomers. The retail merchants do a larger percentage of cash busi¬ 
ness, but their credit business is more precarious, more risky, 
than is the credit business of the wholesaler or the manufacturer. 
Nor is this due to the poverty of the consumers. Retailers lose 
far more through “dead beats” who have property, but who keep 
it “tied up” in various ways, than they lose through the actual 
poverty of those who have no property. 

715. The greatest curse to the credit world today is not the 
man who would pay but cannot; it is the man who could pay 
but will not. Between these extremes of very good and very bad 
customers there are innumerable grades. Some will pay upon the 
first asking, some when the second or third letter has reached them. 
Still more urgent, and even threatening letters are necessary to 
make any impression on the next lower grade, and so on we go down 
the scale, our letters becoming more emphatic, or more caustic, until 
finally we despair of ever, getting a settlement direct, and we turn 
the bill over to an attorney or collection agency for collection, 
and transfer the account to the Dead Beat Ledger. 




LETTERS ASKING PAYMENT 


119 


716. A small percentage of customers whose accounts have 
reached this stage will pay upon the first asking by the attorney, 
others upon the second, and so on until suit is ordered, or the 
account is abandoned as uncollectible. In the meantime the 
creditor has been keeping up a long line of correspondence with the 
attorney as to what progress he is making. 

717. Out of one hundred attorneys thus employed, two or 
three will collect money, appropriate it to their own uses, and report 
the claim uncollected. For this reason it is well for the creditor, 
upon receiving adverse reports from the attorney, to write the 
debtor again, when, if the account has been paid, or any part of 
it, the debtor will not be slow to say so. Then there are more letters 
to be written to the delinquent attorney, and if he does not respond 
satisfactorily, another attorney must be employed to prosecute him. 

718. All this expense and delay in the collection of old 
accounts must come out of the legitimate profits of the business. 
In fixing the margin of profits necessary for the safe conduct of 
any kind of business- (and the percentage varies greatly with the 
kind), a certain percentage must be allowed for bad debts. There¬ 
fore, if in a certain business $50,000 a year is transferred to 
uncollectible accounts, and the business still goes on at a profit, 
those of their customers who do pay have paid $50,000 more than 
they ought to pay, or would be required to pay, if the business 
were so conducted as to avoid dead beats. True, there are some 
losses through the customers’ misfortunes which could not be 
foreseen or guarded against, but with the great bulk of bad debts 
it is wholly a matter of character in commercial life, or Money 
versus Manhood. 

719. These considerations lead us to a better appreciation of 
the importance of Letters Asking Payment. The older an account 
becomes, the harder it is to collect, notwithstanding that an old ac¬ 
count is perfectly valid until it is so old as to be outlawed. If we 
can so word our first letter, or the second, or third, as to secure 
payment, we shall prevent the account from becoming “old.” Many 
a good clerk in the collection department of a great business is 
saving to his employers many times the amount of his salary, just 
by his fitness for dictating Letters Asking Payment. 

720. For the purpose of determining the tone and frequency 
of our Letters Asking Payment, we may divide all customers into 
two classes; (1) Desirable, (2) Undesirable. The dividing line 
between these two classes will vary with the conditions of the busi¬ 
ness. A manufacturer with plenty of capital and less trade than 



120 


LETTER WRITING 


capacity can ill afford to lose any customer however slow, who can 
eventually be induced to pay. On the other hand, a manufacturer 
whose desirable trade will readily absorb all that the capacity of 
his plant will produce cannot afford to waste his time coaxing 
slow customers, or have his capital tied up in accounts of long 
standing. The former manufacturer cannot afford to offend a 
slow customer; the latter manufacturer cannot afford to be offended 
by a slow customer. 

721. From this it will be seen that there is great variation in 
the attitude which any business house is warranted in assuming 
toward its customers in the matter of collections, and the tone of 
its Letters Asking Payment will vary accordingly. 

722. The most carefully and politely worded personal letter 
will sometimes offend a customer who prides himself upon his 
“solidity,” though he be slow. For this reason many business 
houses have adopted forms to be used in, the proper succession, and 
the fact of their being printed shows to the customer that he is 
not a special target, but that he is being treated like all the rest. 
On the other hand, the customer who is not as sensitive as he 
ought to be pays no attention to such printed notices, or to state¬ 
ments stamped “Please Remit.” 

723. It will now be clear to the student’s mind why we can¬ 
not lay down any “hard and fast” rules to be observed in writing 
Letters Asking Payment. We can give a few samples, some to 
be used singly; some in series. We can illustrate the milder 
phraseology, and the more emphatic; the courteous request, and the 
urgent demand—but when and where to apply the extremes of 
either kind must be left wholly to the discretion of the writer; and 
we trust that our treatment of the principles of credit business 
herein set forth will be of more value in aiding the judgment to 
decide correctly for each specific case, than any number of sample 
forms submitted to be followed blindly. 

724. In order to be fairly courteous toward customers who 
have not as yet become confirmed delinquents, it is best to word 
all our requests, for payment in such a way as to avoid implying 
that the debtor is either unable or unwilling to pay. Such expres¬ 
sions as the following will accomplish that result: 

“Permit u s to call your attention to your account which is due and un¬ 
paid, but which has doubtless been overlooked in the press of business.” 

We enclose another statement of your account, presuming that the one 
we sent you some ten days ago has been mislaid.” 

Our letter of the 10th inst., enclosing statement of your account, may 
have been misdirected, or lost in the mails.” 



LETTERS ASKING PAYMENT 


121 


“We have not the slightest anxiety as to either your willingness or ability 
to pay us, and would be glad to leave the matter entirely to your conven¬ 
ience, were it not that part of our plant was recently destroyed by fire, and 
we are under the necessity of asking all who can to pay without further 
delay.” 

“It would give us great pleasure to extend your time indefinitely, but we 
have just bought out one of our competitors, and if you will join the ranks 
of those who are cheerfully coming to our aid, we shall be able, by thus in¬ 
creasing our facilities, to make you better prices in the near future, and thus 
compensate you for the inconvenience it may be to you to pay each of your 
bills at or near the time it falls, due.” 

“Your account is long past due, but we have hitherto refrained from 
calling your attention to it, knowing that you are just passing through the 
dull season. However, we have past-due accounts with more than four 
hundred other customers in your line, and we are asking all to pay a part— 
say half—and we can then wait another sixty days for the balance. We 
know you are willing to pay if you had the money. Can you not strain a 
point to raise it? We would even be willing to stand the discount you might 
have to suffer to accommodate us.” 

725. Most large business corporations pay their bills monthly 
—say on the 10th, and it is not only needless, but worse than use* 
less, to send them a statement of their account just when it comes 
due. They will pay on the 10th of the following month without 
being asked, and they will not pay any sooner, no matter how often 
they are asked. We mention this not to show the student what to do, 
but what not to do with such customers, for it irritates them even 
to receive a statement. Sometimes a new clerk in going over the 
ledger fails to notice the mark which indicates that no statement 
should be sent to that customer, and inadvertently sends one, per¬ 
haps bearing in large letters the rubber stamp “PLEASE REMIT,” 
or two or three applications of this, to them, obnoxious reminder. A 
careless clerk, by working industriously for an hour along this mis¬ 
taken line of usefulness, may make it necessary for the manager to 
devote a whole day to the writing of personal conciliatory letters in 
an effort to soothe the irritation evidenced by the letters received 
in answer to those statements—and the writer of those conciliatory 
letters will need to use Invention, Style, and Diction, all at their 
best, to make his letters effective. 

726. Now, of course, a series of Letters Asking Payment 
might be made more gradual, employing say five or six of increas¬ 
ing strength, leading up to the point where we decide to give the 
account to an attorney for collection, if no response has been re¬ 
ceived. Also, the slow accounts may be worked, say every ten 
days instead of every month, and thus push the matter along 
faster. The collections need different treatment in different kinds 
of business. 



122 


LETTER WRITING 


THE CARD SYSTEM 

727. In a very large business, requiring the entire time of 
one or more clerks to attend to the collections, the matter is best 
handled by a card system. Cards are prepared, one for each ac¬ 
count, showing on the face a statement of the account, with name 
and address of the debtor at the head, the back being reserved for 
memoranda. Now suppose we have one thousand of these cards 
and desire to work them all every ten days, beginning March 1st. 
We place them in a drawer which, instead of an index file, contains 
31 colored division cards (guide cards with projecting tabs) num¬ 
bered to represent the days of the month. See Fig. 1, page 151. 
We put one hundred of our card accounts in the first division, one 
hundred in the second division, etc., filling up the first ten days 
with our thousand accounts. 

728. If these were all new accounts, we should on the first 
day of the month send letter No. 1 to each of the first hundred, 
note the fact briefly on the back of the card, follow that memoran¬ 
dum with the figures 3/11, and place the card forward under March 
11, when it will come up for further attention. 

729. By the time we have gone through our thousand cards 
at the rate of one hundred per day, it will be found that answers 
have been received from some of the earlier ones. When any re¬ 
sponse is received, the corresponding card, which will now be found 
ten days further forward, must be picked out, and a brief memor¬ 
andum of what the debtor says must be made on the back. Sup¬ 
pose he pays part and promises the balance on the 22d. We note 
that fact and re-date the card for the 25th, moving the card forward 
to that place in the drawer, thus allowing three days later as the 
proper time to remind him again, if in the meantime the balance 
has not been paid, and the card taken out of the drawer. 

730. As the correspondence proceeds by this method, some 
cards will need to be dated much further ahead than others, thus 
requiring two or even three drawers in use at the same time. 

731. Of course, all letters containing remittances go through 
the bookkeeper’s hands before being sent to the collection clerk, so 
that the accounts in the various ledgers, or accounts receivable 
books will agree with the statement on the face of the collection 
clerk’s cards, and the memoranda on the backs. The student will 
readily see that since some cards need to be dated much further 
forward than others; and some are taken out of the drawer because 
paid, or transferred to the Suspense Files as practically worthless; 
and some new ones are coming in from day to day, in the regular 




THE CARD SYSTEM 


123 


course of business, the cards will soon become miscellaneously in¬ 
termingled, so that every day’s assortment of cards will contain 
accounts in all stages of progress. 

732. This card system of handling collections has been found 
very satisfactory for a medium-sized business, say not more than 
fifteen thousand to twenty thousand active accounts, more than 
half of which are paid on or before receipt of statement, and thus 
before reaching the collection clerk. 

733. For a much larger business it is better to have the col¬ 
lections worked directly from the Accounts Receivable Books, but 
by a Card Index system as a means of keeping track of the work. 
To do this, the Order Book is made the book of original entry. The 
order blanks are printed say three on a page, with a stub to each 
order, the leaves being perforated, and each book containing 1000 
orders. After the orders are filled out and torn off, the stubs con¬ 
tain all the data which would be found on the face of the cards 
heretofore explained, and the back of the preceding leaf is the place 
Gn which to make the memoranda which by the other method, 
were made on the back of the card. When all the orders in one 
volume are filled and torn out, the covers are cut off back to the 
stubs, making the books more convenient to handle. The first vol¬ 
ume is marked on the back, 

BOOK A. 

1 to 1000. 

734. The next book is marked Book A 1001 to 2000, and so 
on up to Book A 9001 to 10000. Then comes Book B, 1 to 1000, 
B 1001 to 2000, etc., until ten books are filled in the B series. After 
all the letters of the alphabet have been thus used, with ten books 
to each letter and 1000 orders in each book, making 260000 orders, 
.a sub-letter is introduced, thus: Aa 1 to 1000, A a 1001 to 2000, 
etc., then Ba 1 to 1000, Ba 1001 to 2000, etc.; and after the entire 
alphabet is used with the sub-letter “a”, the sub-letter “b” is used 
through another 260000 accounts. When all letters have been used 
singly as sub-letters two sub-letters may be used: as Aaa, then Aab, 
etc. Some large business concerns are now using order numbers 
preceded by three letters. The numbers used on bank notes are 
preceded by letters having a somewhat similar significance. 

735. These order books, also called Accounts Receivable 
books, should be kept in a rack built to contain four or five series, 
and mounted on casters. The rack is rolled into the vault in the 
evening, and drawn out into the office in the morning, and it should 



124 


LETTER WRITING 


be made the duty of some one person to see that, in case of an 
alarm of fire, that rack shall be rolled into the vault instantly. 

736. An index is kept for each series, showing after each cus¬ 
tomer’s name all the Order Numbers in that series where that cus¬ 
tomer’s name appears, and these numbers are crossed off in the 
index, as fast as his bills are paid. The indexes, therefore, show 
where to find his live accounts, and the first thing to be done with 
the mail is to go over the indexes and mark on each letter the num¬ 
ber of the order or orders to which the contents of that letter re¬ 
fers. The letters are then distributed to the various clerks; or the 
letters may be distributed first, and each clerk may look up his own 
order numbers, but by this method several clerks are likely to 
want the same index at once. 

737. The cards for the Card System of working these order 
books may be much smaller than by the system previously ex¬ 
plained, as each card contains at its head only the order number, 
and along down the face simply the dates at which the card comes 
up for attention. 

738. Other branches of the correspondence may be worked 
by other clerks, also by the card-index method. Suppose that we 
receive a complaint of shortage, or leakage, or quality, or delay in 
shipping. The clerk having charge of that department goes to the 
order book and makes a memorandum to that effect, also noting 
what he said in answer. Then when this account comes before the 
collection clerk again, he sees the recent entry made by the com¬ 
plaint clerk, and governs himself accordingly. So all departments 
work the same order books, but each by an independent card-sys¬ 
tem, and each clerk with a full knowledge of what all the others 
have done regarding each account. The “loose-leaf” order book 
has certain advantages over the kind just described, but both sys¬ 
tems are worked by the card-index method. 


EXERCISE 13 


1. Write a letter to the Baker-Elgin Co., 431 Ft. Wayne Ave., Indian¬ 
apolis, Ind., requesting payment of balance of $314.10 due on note for $1000. 
Tell them that you would gladly extend the time again, were it not that you 
are building an addition to your warehouse, and must have cash to pay 
contractors. 

2. Collins & Hubbard, Charleston, S. C., owe you $637.61, which they 
promised to pay ten days ago, but have neither paid nor offered any ex¬ 
planation for delinquency. You owe Mason J. Klinger, Atlanta, Ga., $541.75, 
due in five days from now. Write C. & H. that you will draw on them at 



LETTERS ASKING PAYMENT 


125 


sight on that date favor Klinger for the amount you owe him. Ask them 
to be prepared to pay Klinger promptly, so as not to injure your credit with 
Klinger. 

3. The Baker-Elgin Co. send check for $200 and new note at sixty days, 
for $115.24 to cover balance of old note with 6% interest on new note added 
in advance. Write Baker-Elgin’s letter to you. Write The Baker-Elgin Co., 
acknowledging receipt of check and note, and agreeing to the extension of 
time. 

4. Collins & Hubbard say they will accept your draft, favor Mason J. 
Klinger, if drawn at ten days sight, or will honor your draft at sight, if 
drawn ten days later. Write C. & H.’s letter to you. 

5. Write Mason J. Klinger explaining how you can pay him through 
Collins & Hubbard as above proposed. 

6. Write Mason J. Klinger’s letter to you agreeing to wait ten days 
longer, and expressing preference for C. & H.’s acceptance of draft at ten 
days’ sight. 

7. Write C. & H. notifying them of Klinger’s preference, and again 
expressing the importance of not disappointing Klinger. 

8. Write Johnson & Johnson, Galveston, Texas^that if they do not pay 
by the 10th of next month, their account of $168.70, now long past due, 
you will give same to Christie Collection Agency with instructions to sue 
within ten days, unless paid or secured by chattel mortgage. 


9. Write a letter from Johnson & Johnson to yourself, expressing sin¬ 
cere regret at their failure to pay, and explaining that the delay has been 
due to business reverses as the result of a bank failure in their town. Also 
say that a note at six months for the balance due is enclosed, the same 
being secured by chattel mortgage, also enclosed, on four mules and two 
wagons, considered worth double the amount. 

10. Write a letter to Wm. A. Crush, Martindale Attorney, Galveston, 
Tex , enclosing J. & J.’s chattel mortgage, asking him to investigate as to 
value of the chattels, and if considered sufficient, to have mortgage recorded 
and return promptly. Explain that you are a Martindale subscriber, and 
trust he will make fee reasonable.* 


11 Write Crush’s letter to you reporting favorably and returning mort¬ 
gage, also receipt for forty-five cents for recording same, and naming $1.50 
as fee for his service. 

12 Write Johnson & Johnson in answer to their letter of No. 9. Refer 
to your investigation through attorney, and express a hope that by the time 
the note falls due they will have recovered from the effects of the bank 
failure, and be able to pay promptly. 

13. Write Vernon & Hicks, Lincoln, Nebr., that Attorney A J. Kerr 
(of Lincoln) has reported their account of $436.25 practically worthless, and 
does not expect to collect except by small amounts spread over two or three 
years. Ask if they cannot do something to secure the account and save 
themselves costs of suit. 

•Subscribers to the Martindale Mercantile Agency get the service of Martindale 
attorneys at special rates, the Martindale Co. also agreeing to make good any deficiency 
caused bv dishonesty of any of the attorneys in their association. At least one attorney 
in W every bounty-seat or other large town in the United States belongs to the Martindale 
Agency, and a directory is furnished every subscriber. 



126 


LETTER WRITING 


14. Write letter from V. & H. to you saying they, paid Attorney Kerr 
$100 on our account and promised to pay $100 every sixty days until all is 
paid. State that Kerr is in trouble trying to repay a defalcation of $1000, 
and thus save himself from disbarment proceedings. 

15. Write Attorney Kerr offering to let him retain the $100, and all 
that he may collect from V. & H., if he will give his notes for all amounts 
collected, the notes to bear interest at 8% for one year, and to be secured 
by two good endorsers. 

16. Write Attorney Kerr’s letter to you confessing his fault, expressing 
his surprise at your leniency toward him, appreciating sincerely your dispo¬ 
sition to help a wrong-doer, giving names of two men who. are willing to en¬ 
dorse for him, and offering to pay you a handsome bonus, if he ever gets out 
from under this cloud. 


BLACKMAILING LETTERS 

739. A Blackmailing Letter is a letter written for the pur¬ 
pose of extorting gain by threats. All the states have statutes de¬ 
fining blackmail, and specifying penalties therefor. Blackmailing 
letters usually take the form of an accusation of crime, or a threat 
to accuse of crime or misdemeanor. 

740. This must not be construed to mean that a business man 
may not, in a letter, accuse his delinquent customer of failure to 
keep his promises, nor may not threaten suit or any other lawful 
proceeding if the debt is not paid. In a sealed letter there is no 
danger of violating the law of blackmail by emphatic denunciation 
of unfaithfulness to contract relations, and positive threats of sum¬ 
mary punishment by legal processes. But should anything of this 
kind be written and mailed on a postal card, it would be a serious 
violation of the postal regulations, and render the writer liable for 
damages. 

741. The writing of a dunning letter on a postal card does 
not constitute blackmail, but it savors so much of the same princi¬ 
ple that it is well to inquire closely as to what may, and what may 
not, be sent through the mail in this semi-public fashion. 

742. The principle on which to decide whether the message 
on a postal card renders the writer liable for damages is: 

Does the message threaten or reject in a manner injurious to 
the character of another? 

If it does not, it is lawful, and the card is considered mail- 
able. If it does, it is unlawful, and the card is considered unmail¬ 
able. 

743. A mere statement of account, unaccompanied by any 
threat, may be made on a postal card, but it is not good form for 



LETTERS OF INQUIRY 


127 


merchants to use this method of reaching their private customers. 
The county treasurer, however, has practically the whole public for 
his customers, and therefore it is not considered a violation of busi¬ 
ness etiquette for him to mail on postal cards printed statements, 
or even written statements, of taxes due, or about to become due. 

744. A good deal of unfavorable publicity may be given on a 
postal card and still keep within the pale of the law, if the writer 
is careful to refrain from making any threats. The courts held the 
following message unlawful and the writer was fined: 

“If you do not pay at once the $2.50 you owe us, and for which we 
have called on you several times, we will give it to our attorney with in¬ 
structions to force collection.” 

745. It is the threat which makes this case so offensive, for 
in the following case the court held that there was no violation, 
though it is practically the same as the preceding one, except that 
there is no threat: 

“Your account is long past due, and our collector has called for payment 
several times. Will you please settle at once?” 

746. On the whole, it is best not to use postal cards in ask¬ 
ing payment, but they may be used freely in acknowledging receipt 
of payment. 

747. On the other hand, even a sealed letter may give unde¬ 
sirable publicity to the nature of its contents by reason of undue 
prominence of the imprint on the envelope. Thus, if a collection 
agency should address the customers of its clients on envelopes 
bearing in prominent type, say THE CHRISTIE COLLECTION 
AGENCY, the customers receiving such letters would have good 
cause for complaint, on the ground that their credit is likely to be 
injured through these envelopes making it widely known that let¬ 
ters from such a source are sent to them. The collection agency's 
object in making their name so prominent is to render it odious to 
the debtor, and thus scare him into quick settlement, in order to 
prevent more such letters from being seen by the public in his mail. 

LETTERS OF INQUIRY AND INFORMATION 

748. Under Letters Pertaining to Credit we have already 
touched upon Letters of Inquiry as to financial standing, and the 
corresponding information to be given in answer thereto. 

749. In general, it may be said that every letter of inquiry 
should express or imply a willingness to reciprocate the favor. 
Also, that the answer to every Letter of Inquiry should, if possible, 
give the information which is reliable and sufficiently detailed to 




128 


LETTER WRITING 


be of real value to the inquirer. Sometimes one who receives a 
Letter of Inquiry is in position to discover the desired information 
readily, but may himself have to write a Letter of Inquiry to ob¬ 
tain that information from a third person. If such information 
can probably be obtained within a day or two, it will not be nec¬ 
essary to acknowledge receipt of the primary Letter of Inquiry 
until it can be answered in full. 

750. If the person receiving a Letter of Inquiry is not able to 
give or procure the desired information, he should answer promptly, 
expressing regret at his inability to be of service in the manner de¬ 
sired. Without due regard to courtesy in such answers the im¬ 
pression is likely to be conveyed that the writer knows, but does 
not wish to tell. 

751. Of course, the writer of a Letter of Inquiry should con¬ 
fine his questions to the legitimate usage of trade. He should not 
ask to know things which are none of his business. But within the 
pale of propriety there is almost no limit to the variety of subjects 
for business correspondence, involving inquiry and information. 
Of course, it may be said that every letter is a letter of informa¬ 
tion. But not every letter gives information in direct response to 
a letter of inquiry. 

752. Besides letters pertaining to credit and financial standing, 
there are many letters pertaining to delays in shipment, causing loss 
of sales and serious injury to trade; letters inquiring into con¬ 
ditions of trade and prospects for the coming season; letters asking 
pointers as to systems of accounting, or methods of classifying or 
storing stock; the comparative value of domestic and imported 
products; the best methods of co-operation to the end that compe¬ 
tition shall be fair and not ruinous; the exchange of experience in 
the use of different lines of transportation; the policy of the 
banking world toward the merchant world; the attitude of the 
creditor toward the honest but irresponsible debtor; the establishing 
of branch stores, or sub-agencies; the centralization of trade, its 
advantages and disadvantages; causes of increase or decrease in the 
ratio of supply and demand; the status of the jobber, who is neither 
wholesaler nor retailer; the status of a manufcturer who sells direct 
to the consumer; in fact, any subject wherein competitors’ in¬ 
terests do not clash may be a legitimate matter of inquiry and 
information between one business man and another. 

753. It is not practicable to give samples of all such letters 
here, but enough has been said to serve as an intelligent basis 
for a life-long consideration of Letters of Inquiry and Information. 



EXERCISES 


129 


EXERCISE 14 

1. Leiter & Zang, 938 Smithfield St., Pittsburg, Pa., have just received 
notice from the B. & O. Freight Station that a package of goods which you 
shipped them four weeks ago has just arrived, and they refuse to accept the 
goods and pay the freight, because they had to purchase elsewhere to hold 
their trade. Write L. & Z. asking if they can use the goods at a discount 
of 20%. State that the box was marked “Rush” and that you have tele¬ 
graphed tracers, and kept in close touch with the transportation company from 
the day the goods were shipped; that the railroad company had the car 
shunted in the mining regions by mistake, and they are willing to make good 
the loss if we can resell at a reasonable discount. 

2. Write L. & Z.’s letter to you declining to accept the goods at any 
price, but referring you to Jaster & Wise, 96 Liberty St., as probable cus¬ 
tomers for that shipment. Express regret at the unfortunate delay, and give 
assurance of future custom when more stock is needed. 

3. Write Jaster & Wise, giving them the facts in the case, and stating 
that a duplicate of your invoice to L. & Z. will be found enclosed. Also 
state that L. & Z. referred you to them, and express a hope that they can 
use the goods at 20% off. 

4. Write J. & W.’s letter to you accepting the offer providing terms 
can be made 60 days instead of 30; also, asking for duplicate freight receipt, 
with authority to claim shipment originally made to L. & Z. 

5. Write A. N. Colver, Agt., B. & O. R. R., at your town, instructing 
him to have Pittsburg agent deliver L. & Z.’s shipment to J. & W. Also, make 
claim (through Colver) on B. & O. R. R. for $32.41, which is the loss you 
sustained through their delay of shipment to L. & Z. 

In making this claim on Colver, you are supposed to enclose duplicate of the 
original invoice to L. & Z., and a duplicate of your invoice to J. & W. so that he 
(Colver) may see just how much you had to lose on the goods by reason of delay 
en route. Word your letter so as to refer to these invoices as if they were enclosed. 

6. Write Leiter & Zang, thanking them for referring you to Jaster & 
Wise, who have taken the goods at a reasonable reduction, considering that 
they already had a large stock on hand. Say that the transportation com¬ 
pany will doubtless, through self-interest, do all in their power to prevent a 
recurrence of such delays, as they have accepted your claim for the loss. 

7. Write to J. S. Peabody & Co., St. Louis, Mo., stating that you are 
chairman of a committee appointed by the retail merchants of your city to 
inquire into the means adopted in other cities for the purpose of restraining 
wholesalers and commission merchants from selling to consumers, and thus 
injuring the retailer’s business.. Ask if they and other retailers in St. Louis 
have suffered seriously from this cause, and, if so, whether or not they have 
been able to devise a means to prevent it. Express a willingness to give any 
information they may desire as to conditions, of trade, or abuses of privi¬ 
leges, or violations of trade customs in your city. Sign your name as chair¬ 
man of committee. 

8. Write your agent, S. F. Carrington, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that your 
last shipment made on his order, to Kline & Dunlap, Lafayette, Iowa, has 
been refused on account of delay in shipping. State that you were out of 
material and could not get the stock ready any sooner, and ask him to resell 
this shipment if possible, somewhere within his county, as the packages will 





130 


LETTER WRITING 


not stand reshipping to a great distance. Tell him that you have two cus¬ 
tomers at Lisbon, B. M. Ward and Thomas Hinkle, who ordered similar 
goods last year. Offer him re-commission on the sale at full price, though 
he may have to sell at some discount, and urge quick action to save loss by 
leakage this dry season. 


CIRCULARS AND CIRCULAR LETTERS 

754. There are some situations arising in business which make 
it desirable to send the same letter to many customers or pros¬ 
pective customers, and yet have each letter appear to have been 
written especially for the one who receives it. If the recipient 
can see at a glance that such a letter, though addressed to him by 
name, is yet only a duplicate of a thousand others sent promis¬ 
cuously to the trade, he will regard it in the same light as a 
printed circular—merely an advertisement to the general public. 
If so many business men did not have the foolish habit of con¬ 
signing to the waste-basket without reading, all circulars or other 
printed matter, it would not have been necessary to invent machines 
and methods for duplicating writing in exact imitation of typewrit¬ 
ing. As it is, a circular must appear to be an individual letter, 
or the majority of those to whom it is sent will throw it aside 
without the slightest glance at its contents, unless the heading or 
the envelope shows it is a subject in which they are especially 
interested, or that it comes from one with whom they already have 
active business relations. 

755. Circular letters may be divided into two classes; (1) Let¬ 
ters to present customers; (2) Letters to the public as prospective 
customers. Circular letters to present customers may be of two 
classes; (1) Letters which should appear to be private or individual; 
(2) Letters which should appear to be general. 

756. When a business man writes something of an advertising 
nature, even to his own customers, he must make it appear to be 
private and individual, or more than half of its force is lost, even 
if the customer reads it; and the chances are three to one that the 
customer will not read it at all, if he suspects that hundreds of other 
customers are receiving the same thing the same day. On the 
other hand, a private letter may contain such terms or information 
as would be considered inpertinent, or offensive, or discriminating, 
or too personal, if restricted to one customer; but if he can see bv 
the form of the very letter itself that he is being treated like all 
the rest of the customers in that trade, the letter has lost its sting, 
and the information is rendered acceptable. So this latter kind, 



CIRCULAR LETTERS 


131 


though sent to only one customer, must appear to him as if sent 
to all the rest; but the former kind, though sent to all the rest, 
must appear to each one as if sent to him only. 

757. To make a letter appear to be sent to all the trade, though 
you only send one now and then in special cases requiring such 
treatment, it is well to prepare a form letter leaving blanks for 
name, date, amount, etc., and have this form printed. You may 
need but a few of them, but the fact that they are on printed 
forms makes it appear as though they were used in large quanti¬ 
ties, and the customer receiving such a form letter, though it be 
a little sharp for his commercial palate, does not feel that he is dis¬ 
criminated against, and he accepts the dose, though it leaves a 
bitter taste in his mouth—just the effect you desired to produce. 

758.. Letters to the public as prospective customers require 
featuring. This involves all the leading principles of advertising— 
a subject which is fast being reduced to a science. Many ingeni¬ 
ous schemes, have been invented to gain and hold the attention. 
Elegant stationery, artistic illustrations, novel combinations of 
business with politics or poetry, unique souvenirs, antique articles 
of the toilet, picturesque representations of historic events— 
anything unusual belonging to or enclosed in a circular will excite 
interest or curiosity enough to insure at least a momentary perusal 
of the circular so garnished; and the embellishment may have 
sufficient merit to warrant its permanent preservation. If so, your 
circular is well placed. 

759. There is practically no end to the variety of ways in which 
a circular may be made attractive. Sometimes the heading may 
make ingenious reference to some remarkable discovery, or some 
sensational event which for that moment fills the public eye. The 
subject of your circular may be essentially plain and dry, the 
matter very commonplace indeed, but if it can be linked up smoothly 
with the things that are then thrilling the people, your goods or 
your ideas will be indelibly stamped with an up-to-dateness which 
will turn public attention your way, and you will not have wasted 
the postage required to distribute your circulars. 

760. As an. example of this principle, note the hundreds of in¬ 
stances in which the polar controversy between Cook and Peary 
was linked up with business in 1910. Halley’s comet was also 
harnessed to the commercial chariot. Aeroplanes are coupled with 
rising quality, and falling stars with descending prices. (Woe be 
to the bungling correspondent who gets these ideas reversed.) 

New subjects are developed almost daily which can be seized and 
utilized to feature a circular. 



132 


LETTER WRITING 


761. Sometimes circular letters are prepared like follow-up let¬ 
ters, to go in series. If the featuring is efficient the circulars are 
preserved, and the effect is cumulative. This cumulative effect 
grows in a geometric ratio. If you strike a man six times in 
six different places, the last stroke may make no deeper impression 
than the first. If you strike him six times in the same place,— 
well, you will probably hear from him before you reach the sixth 
time. It is the same with the attention. By attracting it to the 
same object repeatedly, the impression becomes so deep as to be all- 
absorbing. 

762. Printed circulars can be mailed singly unsealed as third- 
class matter (two ounces for one cent), but duplications of type¬ 
writing must be mailed in quantities of not less than twenty to 
separate addresses in order to go at third-class rate. Such circu¬ 
lar letters may have the date, heading, and name and address of 
the person addressed written or typewritten in afterward, and any 
typographical errors may be corrected, and still be third-class mat¬ 
ter, if unsealed. But the writing or stamping of anything in the 
body to alter its meaning to that special customer would subject 
it to first-class postage, whether sealed or unsealed. 

PUBLIC LETTERS 

763. Public letters are communications for publication, 
written in the form of a letter. They are generally addressed to 
some individual. This form of writing is adopted because it arouses 
personal interest in what is said, and admits of a more informal 
style of composition. Most of the letters published in newspapers 
are addressed either to the editor, or some public man. 

764. How to write for the press.—All copy for a printer 
should be on one side of the paper only. Write plainly, and be 
careful in the spelling, capitalization, paragraphing, etc. Number the 
pages. Always give your own name and address; not for publica¬ 
tion, necessarily, but as a guarantee of good faith. If you do not 
wish your name published, you may sign the letter with an 
assumed name; in addition you must not fail to give your own name 
and address, otherwise your letter will certainly find its way to the 
waste-basket. 

Have the copy typewritten, if convenient. One may then see 
in advance how it will look in print, and revisions may be made 
in the copy rather than in the proofs, which is more satisfactory to 
both author and printer. 




LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION 


133 


LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION 

765. A letter of congratulation is one written to a friend 
who has just met with some good fortune. It should, of course, be 
written in a cheerful, lively style suited to the occasion. Nothing 
of an unpleasant nature concerning yourself, nor matters of advice, 
nor other subjects, should be mentioned in such a letter. The 
following model is one of this class of letters: 



COINTYCOURTHOUSE 


• MOLVHUUX 


CMAS.r.pmsTKN •«•(»•< 

w.«.a(cn (mi.. »«•« 


CLEVELAND, OHIO 


Friend Charles: 


Aug. 8, 1912. 


I am greatly pleased to learn that, notwithstanding 
the general dullness of business, you have suooeeded in obtaining a 
clerkship. I doubt not your employers will regard themselves fortu¬ 
nate in securing your services. In the meantime, aooept my congrat¬ 
ulations upon your success. 

Hoping' the position may prove permanent and satisfactory, I am. 
Truly yours, 

C. A. Leonard, 

Washington, D. C. ^ 

EXERCISE 15 

1. Write a letter of congratulation to your friend, John C. Lowrie, on 
the announcement of his promotion to the position of Secretary-Treasurer of 
the Colonial Builders Supply Co., Boston, Mass. Date your letter at Albany, 
N. Y., and state that you saw this announcement in the Albany Journal as 
quoted from the Boston Courier. Wish him the further advancement that is 
sure to come to men of sterling merit. 

2. Write a letter of congratulation to your intimate friend, Marguerite 
Weston, in your own town, on the announcement of her engagement to 




134 


LETTER WRITING 


Kenneth E. Saxton, Newark, N. J., who is also a life-long acquaintance, and 
whom you have always held in high esteem. Write from Plainfield, N. J. 

3. Write a letter to the Economy Supply Co., Baltimore, Md., con¬ 
gratulating them on the completion and occupancy of their new factory and 
offices. State that you have had business relations with them ever since they 
began business in a very humble way at Annapolis, that you noticed how they 
outgrew the demands of trade in that city, that you were intimately acquaint¬ 
ed with their founder and former president, who is now holding an im¬ 
portant federal office in New York, and that although you have been for 
twenty years their principal competitor in Baltimore, you have never had any 
but kindly feelings toward them for their manifest honesty and fair dealing. 


LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE 

766. A letter of condolence is one written to a friend who 
has suffered some loss or bereavement. Such a letter is one of the 
most difficult of all to write. It requires good taste and sympathetic 
feeling. In offering condolence, carefully avoid recalling to the 
sufferer the details of the case, and do not attempt to argue on the 
subject. Reasons that should appeal to the head cannot affect the 
heart. Of course, never insinuate that your friend is in the least 
directly or indirectly to blame. What is most needed at such a time 
is sympathy. Endeavor to show your friend, as much as is possible 
in words, that you are ready and anxious to share his grief, and 
your sympathetic feeling will thus lessen the sorrow. 

767. The following letter, written to John Adams on the 
death of Mrs. Adams is one of the finest models of this class of 
letters: 


Monticello, November 13, 1818. 

The public papers, my dear friend, announce the fatal event 
of which your letter of October the 20th had given me ominous 
foreboding. Tried myself in the school of affliction, by the loss 
of every form of connection which can rive the human heart, I 
know well, and feel what you have lost, what you have suffered, 
are suffering, and yet have to endure. The same trials have 
taught me that for ills so immeasurable, time and silence are the 
only medicine. I will not, therefore, by useless condolences, 
open afresh the sluices of your grief, nor, although mingling 
my tears with yours, will I say a word more where words are 
vain, but that it is of some comfort to us both that the time is 
not very far distant at which we are to deposit in the same cere¬ 
ment our sorrows and suffering bodies, and to ascend in essence 
to an ecstatic meeting with the friends we have loved and lost, 
and whom we shall still love and never lose again. God bless 
you and support you under your heavy affliction. 

Th. Jefferson. 




LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE 


135 


768. One of the tenderest of Abraham Lincoln’s traits is pre¬ 
served—and with it the remembrance of a heroic mother—in a 
letter of sympathy, read aloud at a Memorial Day service lately, and 
addressed to Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Massachusetts. It ran thus: 


Executive Mansion, Washington, November 21, 1864. 

Dear Madam:—I have been shown in the files of the War 
Department a statement of the adjutant general of Massachu¬ 
setts that you are the mother of five sons who have died glori¬ 
ously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must 
be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from 
the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain‘from 
tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks 
of a republic they died to save. 

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of 
your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of 
the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to 
have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. 

Yours sincerely and respectfully, 

Abraham Lincoln. 


769. It is seldom that a Letter of Condolence is called for 
in business, but there are times when it is exceedingly appropriate 
for business men to express sympathy with their fellow townsmen 
for serious losses and misfortunes that are of a purely business 
nature. Such Letters of Sympathy are nearly always coupled with 
offers of aid, or regrets of inability to extend any assistance. The 
importance of such letters can hardly be overestimated. They are 
only too scarce in this strenuous age. Many a disheartened mer¬ 
chant or manufacturer has taken new courage when his creditors, 
and even competitors, have expressed their sorrow at his failure, 
and their willingness to lend their influence for a new start. The 
“run” on many a bank has been stopped by the prompt offer of 
assistance and co-operation by other banks, for the frightened 
public sees in these hurried offers the background of sympathy in 
the support of which nothing can fail. 





136 


LETTER WRITING 


Particular attention is called to the Letter of Condolence on the oppo¬ 
site page. This letter is a lithographed facsimile of the handwriting of 
Platt R. Spencer, as written by him more than a quarter of a century ago. 
Note, in the body of the letter, the omission of the initial and final strokes, 
thus reducing the writing to the simplest forms possible. Note, also, the 
directness and simplicity of the language—equaled only by the tenderness 
of the sympathy expressed. 

770. Appropos of the solemn fact that we must all pass 
through this ordeal, this little clipping was enclosed in a letter 
of condolence: 

THE COVERED BRIDGE 


476 . Signatures 

written, especial care should be takenjp 
there may be no possible question ' 


While every word in & letter should be plainly 
jug the name, that 
spelled. Signing 


the name hurriedly, wit 1 
on the 



indica 
she m 
and, 

Eve 
ters are 
So many 
blanks, w 
at which 
received fro 
fact, and 
requested to 
many cases t' 
writer. All of 
a very little 
even then, that 



(C. 

c \% V"*’. V eW 

■,t S» 8 ' 

•, a 

0* eX \ toV \Y^ V 

* % v 

%$%£*** 


kmuch loss of time 
%he name, and he 
^ e muetimes a signa- 
iit the name and 
the post office 




fiame so as to 
If single, 
her name; 
same way. 
_many let- 
letters. 

p rfnted 




a 


v V ^ c \ XO^ 

^ * teet ^%o^ o ; 6 tW 


Xf&' 






Bt 



e office 
s been 
&e the 
are 
in 

name of the 
t tU v *0 caused by the lack of 

writer, and it is not certain, 
.xty will be revealed. 

477 . Paragraphing.—A paragraph should include the sentences 
that have a much closer relation t o each other than to those that t 


/ 
























1 i 



























* 










































































ROUGH DRAFT 


137 


ROUGH DRAFT 


771. Sometimes a letter or contract, or other composition 
is so important, or so difficult, as to require careful revHon after 
the first writing, with a view to improving it if possible. In such 
cases, the first writing is made the basis of a further study, and 
the alterations decided on are indicated in various ways, thus 
making a “Rough Draft” of what the finished letter will be. 

772. Most of the changes desired can be indicated by inter¬ 
lineation, or by writing in the margin and drawing lines to a caret 
so placed as to show where the new matter should be written. 
In the first writing, the lines should be wide spaced so that one 
may write between them to indicate changes. 

773. A few signs which need special attention are the fol¬ 
lowing : 

1. —When two words should be transposed. 

(a) If they stand adjacent a line may be drawn over one and 
under the other, passing through between, so as to indicate that the 

Words should be transposed; thus, "They seemed <to/ncTi) be willing", 

should read, “They seemed not to be willing.” 

(b) If the words to be transposed are not adjacent words, 
they should be encircled and connected, and the letters “tr” should 
be written somewhere near to call attention to such transposition. 
Thus: 

_ tr. _ 

•The man with(dark)halr wore a~hat with a( llght )band." 

When corrected this would read, “The man with light hair 
wore a hat with a dark band.” 

2. —Reducing Capitals to Lower Case. 

774. A typesetter has the small letters in a case inclined be¬ 
fore him like the top of a standing desk. This is called the “lower 
case” because the capitals are in a case which is just back of it 




138 


LETTER WRITING 


and leans upward at a steeper angle. The capitals and small cap¬ 
itals are sometimes called “upper-case” letters. 

775. If a capital is to be reduced to lower case simply draw 
a diagonal line through it. This change is most frequently needed 
when the sentence is so reconstructed as to begin with some other 
word, thus putting the word that was first into an intermediate 
position. 

776. A lower-case letter is raised to a capital by drawing 
a capital on or over it. So, when the first letter of a sentence is 
“struck down,” look for some other word where the first letter 
has been “raised” to make that word the beginning of the sentence; 
thus: 




r he purity of the life wi 


Corrected this reads: “The bright and peaceful countenance 
will still reflect the purity of the life within.” 


EXERCISE 16 

777. Transcribe the following Rough Draft, making all the al¬ 
terations indicated, and hand a correct copy to your teacher: 




andscape wen through an imperfect A pane of g lnoo is ^ 
distorted, and our ^ain& e ^ior^calle^to the glass than to the landscape 

o ut si d e. If ttfe A wlndow bo perfect and tru e , we see the A 'rie» so clear. 

__ _/ aAtJ j&vui 

that we dop-t notice the glass.<a^-aH r. So, if our words A * »ft>roperly ^ 

"built together «Hi-^oo(we ll chosen Cwe the 

( the thought ) v ~that we - do-no - t take^£ooou»t of the words^^The -Wea-w 

under- 

\ 

0 £ 4 cac.&L 

t you knjfw A j*te*/ 


conveyed takes A Immedi a t e possession of the hearer's mind, 

■tl-a-d- t?u/yv 

stands it so.-pihe feels as if he A always knfcw- it. 
e - ee& t 


The 


> oulc r -g iv e- a speaker is?*' 


compliment you A - oo u lu. — e> - » T v. » 

c/l-cl srtytr'h &JI/ _ SJ4-. 


what he meant but ^didn '-t- notice J uat how A it wa s- a^ird^. J JA.C musj tl J.n that 


W" —- 

case have t ol d it just 


right, 




























ROUGH DRAFT 


139 


EXERCISE 17 

778. The Rough Draft on the next page, when properly 
transcribed, is an extract from a letter to a senator from one of the 
Eastern States. Several previous letters were written, on The Ex¬ 
alting Influence of Aged People upon Their Younger Friends, when 
one of the younger friends, inspired by the beauty and nobility of 
the senator’s own character, wrote him, in part, as shown in the 
engraving on the opposite page. 

779. The student should read or rewrite this letter carefully 
as it was first written, noting the following points: 

1. The many fine expressions in the original composition. 

2. The awkward and faulty expressions, and the manner in which they 
have been improved. 

3. The changes made in the good sentences to harmonize them with the 
improvements made in the faulty parts. 

4. The change of the latter part from prose to poetry, which is almost 
an insensible change because the preceding prose itself is so poetic. The 
portion so changed is enclosed with ruled lines. 

5. The change of the personal pronouns from the first person to the 
second person, thus making the letter read as a direct message to the student 
who reads it. 

780. A perfect transcript of this exercise should be made 
with either pen or typewriter, and handed to the teacher for ex¬ 
amination. Write the versified part in stanzas, capitalizing ac¬ 
cordingly. 




140 


LETTER WRITING 


r~ though the head -may* he s ilv ere d with many ouoo s ooi -v o 
wi a toro , The heart may bloom ^f ^r om y o or^bo y ea r ^ - W e ohould 

A 'UouAAt/fr, tV-^uJ^.ytn<yvLtr t cfl££^4<tf£y <**ui.JUMi&*tLf~/yne£a. neJLdii , 

y^ccuatom 1 o ur e olv e a to^thlnk.ea rn ss t ly^ ifei lo wo a r e youn g f 
dtfioxi the “Ifrbrde&r4e problem^ of ^-ffe-i Anticipating the so¬ 
lemnities of advanced life; w o - e hould meet the questions 
at issue manfully and^ortify^urse^ree^against the^niluenced 

S&t/ia i&tc/Caial; aZtAf-OviUis' 

of A fear, and^we- may^- t h o e kee p our youth ln do f fnlt c l y, 

—G?he purity of the llfe~wlthln^( wlll^reflect^ od-by- 4he- 

ShtL 

peaceful coui 


an *-i vr i/ r a^. att-0-lit~a.^e4 

countenance^ and - yo u ng e r fri e nd a will still ohooo e- 

—TV.Ll /h* **p Lt-OH^S ^ 

o a r ounny company. 

*+<- yauSL y<ru#L exiA^ 

ly now^ whllo yo u ng find A m&e h --a dvant a g e 


il 1 n n mA 

in wv| wu 


<Lt-4tt~a.lv vA-cl+kJLs tSvl. <l4-&cC . •/ 

cultivating the fri e nd s hip of A o ld peo ple-, 'honoring- them with 
Arth^xC- cOu'trfom-'j ■&Cvl*1&4- 

-kiad ly a>- U « n t iono , -and- cheering- them with polite^consider- 

yin<~ <^' l L Zt-vlcC- ’4 -tl/xzA~- cJltlSWUs -l-*U 

ation, and-we wlll^-s oo n- l e dm to prdfos their society. - An d- 

/l£A7fi£'j~~ G-ititzZE^ s*+t- 

-tbfe-is -no-t all on account of their -w 1 - de - r experience, but 


►age in 


avuz~s 


-mere in o xp ee-t ation of the o tlll - wi der experience they w ill - 

7J> &> C&i, ufarxJ ^ . V~eA^- AtnZCvrLO 

soon haw. From 4««4de-of the cedsa tlal gates^they are look -<? 

AjJwi'U 

ing back 4e us 


"T&eAAS 

us -w4dh-e peaceful benediction. 

£<r<dl yLtJurn/ *OL*vt>£el- J&vULj 

We should regar d them as t h o u gfrf-dhe y ha d—lived under 

-//to S£_ Z\Mf* C*A^<^KdX<i*iC&d- \x£ta-i*<J /ej-f- < r $~ 

- harder c ondltlone than -w e- d o- noif, and wi the ut m us h comfort, 

<nc~Lca&b- <r£ /vi&v£siZ?\s£ct4. i jZ<?vcL i&ilcJI at 

and W luxury, they, b ore aoro hardo h lpo tit a n a ny o f u s ' >. 


They are A -aow—^ 


j uo -fe wa j 


wi« itLC.fi /<&& at tfietir ciAjt^ aiirt-a 

9 hardo h lpo th a n -a ny o f - u s>. re 
itlng A i « — th e-d o orway, and - it tak e o - only ? 


A a nod,Or a smile, -o r- t h e be e k e n - in g^-of—et& A angel > -s :A hond - to • ^5, 

*4 /HJLZottct Z> o&iafit- "T&JL, 

A set their souls wee- on -t h e win gs of love to brigh te r realms^ 

_^ fttveata tttL> 

Llke A full blown yflowers)they have^cheer e d u e- and sweet- 

y-z-o.'u Ja - <}£-/a^'^t~ tl&mg/' 


ened our lives-every year. -On «—ei 


suffice 


' t *ics 


/<n>eaL r - > Ae y 

-a > e nt - - to -c au s o A the 1 r A f 0 rmsj^to droop) and they^ will bo gone^^^.. 

g> T— -" Vyv4 KSttt- S-7&JU . /> 

- We ■ ohould <^atch A carefully/ d e olln a of thein affections, 
^herlsh them tenderly, -for- Though (fad ing^andywi thered)-^ 

they - ottl -1 impart ^to o ur ac hing heart^a~so^thing ^^l ue«o 8« 

- - - 

The -h io eso m a and the flower^are to ssedy in beauty but 


-e v e r ■ and jtnon Jthe roots -are-hidden from the frost ,-by-tho 

~ lU. Jo c£avn£- 


(dead 1 eaves/an^it_was last year*s leaves whic h strengthened- 

<nd£r~ 


rr-r * '** 1 - euAs cm. 

-ue> though -we w ore fair.and strong when 


w o - we re -young, and 

75^€. 

-are-juot-begiaaifig_to^?e€tlda«_-tha4 the reey blush on e ith er^ 

ci4~ irvi/ ^ £<ry*s' _ /wrivcilccC T&L4- Jt i.r*iAl£i. 

j flower or A cheek A is d orived^ f rom above*x»tho sun and the angel a-. 






































































































MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE 


141 


MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE 

EXERCISE 18 

781. As a review the student may now write the letters 
called for in the following series of transactions. These letters 
will be the more interesting because related to each other and to 
the business just as the trade develops the data from day 
to day. Several kinds of letters may be required by the same 
transaction, and sometimes one letter will be of two or more kinds. 
Again, two or more letters may be written to the same party, 
and sent in the same envelope. 

TRANSACTIONS 


Cleveland, O., April 3, 19_ 

1. R. E. Mount & Co. of Cleveland have had several interviews and 
telephone talks with you in which they have offered to sell you their entire 
business located at 938 Euclid Avenue, on conditions which, according to 
your memoranda made while talking the matter over, are as follows: 

That you buy all their resources at face value. 

That you pay all their liabilities. 

That you assume the lease. 

That you pay $16000 in cash for the Good Will. 

That you pay them cash $75000 for one-half their net Present Worth, as 

per bookkeeper’s statement for March; the estimated balance of $. 

in three equal notes at 3, 6, and 9 months respectively. 

That they guarantee the quality and quantity of merchandise to be as 
represented in inventory. 

That they agree not to enter into the same business in Cleveland within 
ten years. 

You have told them to reduce this offer to writing for further consid¬ 
eration. Write their letter to you expressing these conditions as a proposi¬ 
tion in the body of the letter. Ask for prompt consideration. 

April 5, 19.... 

2. Write a letter to R. E. Mount & Co. accepting their offer provided 
they will make the following concessions: 

Obtain an extension of the lease to ten years at the present rate. 

Get an additional endorser to guarantee the payment of their Bills Re¬ 
ceivable. 

Make the time on your notes 6, 12, and 18 months, instead of 3, 6, and 
9 months. 

Make the price of Good Will $12000 and allow $3000 of that to go on 
note at 3 months. 

Discount the Accounts Receivable 10% for shrinkage in collections. 
Give your letter a suitable closing. 




142 


LETTER WRITING 


April 7, 19.... 

3. Write R. E. Mount & Co.’s letter to you making all these conces¬ 
sions except additional endorser on Bills Receivable. 

4. Write your friend, Frank A. Arter, 1493 Lake Shore Blvd., ex¬ 
plaining the offer you now have from R. E. Mount & Co. Tell him how 
business of all kinds is moving up that way, and that you believe the in¬ 
creased value of the lease-hold alone will be a sufficient offset against panics 
or any other cause of depression in trade. 

Tell him that this is a little too large a business for you to carry alone 
without embarrassing or sacrificing other investments, and offer him a one- 
third interest in the business as a silent partner. 

April 9, 19.... 

5. Write Frank A. Arter’s letter to you agreeing with your views as to 
lease-hold and desirability of location. Express a willingness to accept your 
offer providing the business shall be incorporated. Would rather not be a 
silent partner, but would take one-third of the stock. 

April 10, 19.... 

6. Write Frank A. Arter agreeing to incorporate the business, he to 
take one-third of the stock at par, and pay pro rata in the same manner that 
you are to pay Mount & Co. 

7. Write Mount & Co. accepting their last offer and asking that all 
papers be made ready tor execution on April 25th. 

April 15, 19.... 

8. Write a circular letter from R. E. Mount & Co. to be sent to all their 
patrons informing them of the sale of the business. State that the new 
business will be incorporated under the name of which they will be ap¬ 
prised later on. Bespeak for the new concern a continuation of patronage, 
and state as a reason therefor, that the new owners have paid handsomely 
for the Good Will, and it will be considered a mark of appreciation and 
loyalty to the old firm for every patron to give the new company a fair and 
impartial trial. 

9. Write a circular letter from R. E. Mount & Co. to be sent to all 
debtors informing them of the change in ownership of the business, and 
asking them to show their fealty to the retiring parties by prompt and 
satisfactory settlement with the incoming owners. 

May 15, 19.... 

10. The transfer having been made and the business incorporated under 
the name of The Excelsior Supply Company, you assume control of the 
business. Write a circular letter to be sent to all former customers of R. 
E. Mount & Co. informing them of the change in the ownership of the busi¬ 
ness, that it is now a limited corporation, that enlargements are to be made 
in the stock room, improvement in the office methods, two new departments 
added, and that with increased facilities you hope to more than sustain the 
reputation of the former concern for fair dealing with all classes of trade. 

Promise punctuality in filling orders, and sound judgment in the selec¬ 
tion of stock. Sign the corporate name, per your initials. 



MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE 


143 


11. Write a circular letter to be sent to all debtors informing them of 
the new situation of affairs. State that every arrangement with the old 
firm, either expressed or implied, will be conscientiously respected, and that 
you sincerely hope that each debtor will meet his obligations promptly. 

12. The bill clerk has laid on your desk the following bills for today's 
shipments, each bill accompanied by a duplicate freight receipt handed him by 
the shipping clerk: 


J. S. Gorsline, Crestline, O.$ 214.61 

E. C. Greenough & Co., Erie, Pa.. 130.20 

I. J. Cunningham, Fremont, Ind.*. 64.80 

E. S. Trovinger, Huntington, Ind. 340.50 

Bowers & Linder, Monroe, Mich. 1432.10 

Rice Construction Co., Lima, 0. 730.00 


Write a form letter suitable for all these, using the name and amount 
of the last one. 

13. Write a form letter suitable for acknowledgement of the following 
orders using the name and address of the last: 

R. D. Fuller & Son, Wilmington, Ohio. 

E. N. Johnson, Alliance, O. 

David Dalzell & Co., Jamestown, N. Y. 

Gibson-Carson Co., Wheeling, W. Va. 

14. Acknowledge order of Simon Hunter, Painesville, O., stating that 
shipment will be delayed two days until new goods can be unboxed and 
inspected. 

15. Acknowledge order of Chas. Howe & Bro., Anderson, Ind., stating 
that their order has been delayed three days in the mail; that it will take 
two days to make alteration required in one article, but shipment will go 
forward on the 18th inst. 

16. Second National Bank telephones that they hold for collection note 
of R. E. Mount & Co., for $325 favor C. A. Robertson & Co., Philadelphia, 
Pa., and that this note has been protested for non-payment because no 
attention has been paid to their notice sent you three days ago. Write this 
bank, explaining that the oversight was caused by the confusion incident to a 
change of ownership, and enclosing check to cover note and protest fee 
of $1.50. 

17. Write C. A. Robertson & Co., 98 Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa., ex¬ 
plaining cause of delay in payment of the note they held against R. E. 
Mount & Co., and asking them to send the other note, which they hold to First 
National Bank when due. Ask them if they would like to discount the other 
note at 7%. If so, you will take it up at once. 

18. This morning you telegraphed your agent, R. J. Duncan, Ft. 

Wayne, Ind., as follows: “See Hoosier Construction Company Indian¬ 

apolis at once. Big deal on.” Write a letter confirming this telegram, direct 
it care Wabash Hotel, Indianapolis, Ind., and explain that you have just 
received inside information that the H. C. Co. expect to transfer their 
patronage from Chicago to Cleveland. Tell agent to use long distance 
telephone freely, if more detailed information is needed in order to capture 
the trade. 









144 


LETTER WRITING 


19. Your assistant bookkeeper, John C. Warren, has been offered a 
much better position with The American Iron & Wire Co., on consideration 
that R. E. Mount & Co. will recommend him, and that you are willing to 
release him from the balance of his engagement with Mount & Co. now 
assumed by you. He had served Mount & Co. satisfactorily for eight years. 

Write a strong letter of recommendation from Mount & Co. to suit his 
case. 

20. Write a letter to the American Iron & Wire Co. releasing Mr. 
Warren from his contract for the remaining three months. Express regret 
at losing one whose place it will be hard to fill. Add that you could not 
conscientiously stand in the way of Mr. Warren’s advancement, and that 
you trust that the change will be for their benefit as well as his. Sign 
your firm name per your name in full. 

May 16, 19. 

21. Write a letter from The American Iron & Wire Co. to you per¬ 
sonally, thanking you for releasing Mr. Warren, and recommending one of 
their men, Martin S. Dangler, to you to fill Mr. Warren’s place. Say that 
Mr. Dangler is efficient as an assistant bookkeeper, and offer to let him come 
on trial for two weeks at their own expense. 

22. Write Martin S. Dangler, care American I. & W. Co., asking him 
to please write a formal application for the situation to be vacated by Mr. 
Warren, provided, of course, that he thinks he would like the position. 

23. Write a mild form letter to be sent to the following customers 
whose accounts are past due and unpaid; using the data of the last one. 


Refer to the fact that statement was sent ten days ago. 

Samson-Javert Co., Orrville, O.$ 47.61 

A. C. Rogers, Janesville, Wis. 136.20 

Norman French & Son, Cairo, Ill. 83.69 

Morris Jutland, Elmira, N. Y. 276.30 


customers whose accounts are long past due, and who have paid no atten¬ 
tion to the letters sent them within the last two months. 

I. M. Himes, Covington, Ky.$114.65 

O. P. Nixon, Minerva, 0. 95.27 

Ellison & Earhart, Indianapolis, Ind. 37.25 

Zang & Simmons, Delaware, 0. 12.74 

Eben Holden, Waterloo, N. Y. 57.34 

Use data of last. 


25. The orders acknowledged in No. 13 have been filled and the bills 
and freight receipts are before you. Write same form letter previously 
used, to go with invoices, using the name and amount of the last. 


R. D. Fuller & Son .$132.46 

E. N. Johnson . 341.30 

David Dalzell & Co. 275.00 

Gibson-Carson Co. 532.63 


26. Write a letter introducing your friend, Leroy A. Richmond, to your 
former partner, Nicholas Bronson, who is now in business in San Fran¬ 
cisco, Calif. Invent such conditions for Mr. Richmond as might make a 
letter of introduction desirable. 

















MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE 


145 


May 17, 19. 

27. Write a letter directed to “Justice of the Peace, Hawk Eye, Neb.,” 
enclosing the following statements of account for collection, and instructing 
him to threaten suit if not paid in ten days. Ask him to ascertain, to the 
best of his ability, which of these customers, if any, have nothing that 
could be levied on to satisfy judgment. 


U. V. Werner ...$124.36 

A. B. Collister . 115.17 

E. K. Gardner . 138.29 

D. E. Lantz & Co. 85.67 

Marston & Lutz . 217.63 

Kingdon Construction Co. 96.30 


28. The Hobart-Curtiss Co. have this day moved into their new build¬ 
ing, 831 to 841 Superior Avenue, and are giving a formal “opening.” Write 
them a letter congratulating them on their growth and success in business, 
and wishing them prosperity in their new location and elegant surroundings. 
Close by referring to the floral piece which you sent by special messenger 
this morning, and which you trust will grace their counters while it exhales 
the perfume of kindly feeling. 

29. Write the American Iron & Wire Co. accepting their offer to let 
Mr. Dangler try the position to be vacated tomorrow by Mr. Warren. Thank 
them for the interest they have taken in your affairs, and decline their kind 
offer to have this trial made at their expense. 

May 18, 19. 

30. Write a letter to J. B. Couch, Atty., Jackson, Miss., who has been 
trying for two months to induce Welty & Sebring to pay their account of 
$29.40. Enclose sworn statement and tell him to show this to them together 
with an extra letter to him which you also enclose, instructing him to enter 
suit June 1st, if amount is not paid or secured. Give him to understand 
that this extra letter is only a bluff, as the amount is considered too small 
to make it worth the additional cost and further delay which they would 
doubtless cause in fighting it. He is to pay no attention to the instructions 
in the extra letter. It is simply to be shown for effect. 

31. The American Iron & Wire Co. have shown Mr. Warren the let¬ 
ter you wrote them-releasing him. Write a letter from Mr. Warren to you, 
thanking you for your kind words in his behalf, and offering to spend an 
evening or two in your office assisting Mr. Dangler to gain a clear insight 
into the peculiarities of your system of accounting. 

32. The store of Cowan & Sinclair is closed today on account of the 
death of the Junior Member, Albert E. Sinclair. As Mr. Sinclair was an 
active manager of the business, his death is an irreparable loss to the firm, 
and will cause not only a dissolution of the partnership, but will necessitate 
the sale of his business at a great sacrifice. Mr. Cowan (James T.) has 
been an intimate friend of yours for many years. Write him a letter of 
sympathy and condolence, and close by offering financial aid, if needed, or 
whatever influence you can bring to bear on his competitors to enable him 
to dispose of his stock to them at a reasonable wholesale price. Make this 
a personal letter by signing your own name without the firm name. 











146 


LETTER WRITING 


May 20, 19. 

33. Write a form letter acknowledging receipt of remittances from 
those to whom bills were sent on the 15th, as follows: 

J. S. Gorsline, in full at 2% off. 

E. C. Greenough & Co., $100 to apply on account. 

S. J. Cunningham, $150 to apply on old account. 

E. S. Trovinger, in full less 2%. 

Bowers & Linder, $1000 to apply on account. 

Rice Construction Co., in full less 2%. 

Although the above is a form letter, it will require some variation to 
suit the different cases. 

34. Write a letter of inquiry to State National Bank, Topeka, Ks., 
asking confidential information as to the financial responsibility and general 
credit of the Empire Milling Co. State that you have received conflicting 
answers from merchants and lawyers, and as the deal they seek to close 
with you is an important one, you must be pardoned for asking for a 
banker’s view of the situation. 

35. Write a letter addressed to “Superintendent of Mails” stating 
that several of the letters you have received this week have been from one 
to three days too long in the mails. Ask him to take the matter up with 
his carriers, and see whether this delay is caused by their unfamiliarity 
with the name of your new corporation, or from some other cause. 

36. Write a letter to you from J. S. Roland, Sup’t of Mails, stating 
that there is an establishment on the West Side known as the Excelsior 
Solar Printing Co., and that the similarity of names has resulted in placing 
some of your letters in the pouch of the carrier who has that West Side 
route. Say that this error would cause a delay of only six hours if the 
Excelsior Solar Printing Co. would hand your letters to the next carrier 
that comes to their office, but they are not prompt about rectifying such 
mistakes. Express the opinion that employees of the post office have all 
become sufficiently impressed with the situation to prevent any further 
delays on this account. 


May 21, 19. 

37. Write The John R. McConnell Co., Niagara Falls, N. Y., telling 
them that you received ten days ago their invoice and freight receipt for 
shipment of wrapping paper to the old firm of R. E. Mount & Co., but that 
the goods have not yet arrived. Ask them to have the shipment traced and 
delivery effected as soon as possible. 

38. Write the Drake Refining Co., Oil City, Pa., a letter to enclose an 
order for Cylinder and Machine Oils. Say that this is a duplicate of the 
last order they shipped to R. E. Mount & Co., but that for the summer sea¬ 
son the machine oil will not need to have so high a cold test. Also, ask 
that the cylinder oil to be used for gasoline engines be not less than 600° 
firetest, as so many air-cooled automobiles are inclined to run hot. 

39. Write your agent, R. J. Duncan, Wabash Hotel, Indianapolis, Ind., 
acknowledging receipt of his cipher telegram giving you information by 
means of which you were able to induce Morse & McMillan, of Pittsburg, 
not to bid against you for the trade of the Hoosier Construction Co. Com¬ 
mend him for his foresight and shrewdness in the suggestion upon which 
you acted, and send him a check for $100 to apply on his expense account. 






MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 


147 


MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 

782. A large part of this chapter consists of miscellaneous hints, most 
of them serving the purpose of review or recapitulation, and thus em¬ 
phasizing the most important features of Letter Writing, and the care of 
letters. Methods of classifying, copying, and filing letters are also con¬ 
sidered in this chapter. 

783. The Diction of letters is not so formal as that of books. 
One should use common words in letters, and express himself as he 
would in conversation. The language should be clear and easily 
understood. 

_ 784. Clearness.—The principal causes of obscurity in com¬ 
position are: misplaced words, phrases and clauses; unnecessary 
words; ambiguous use of pronouns; long sentences; misuse of 
words; incorrect punctuation. Words should be carefully selected, 
and so placed that there may be no mistaking their meaning. In 
business correspondence, especially, a person should express himself 
so that he will not be misunderstood. Make your statements pointed 
and direct, and so clear that they cannot be misinterpreted. 

785. The Language of Letters.—The style of expression in 
letters should be much like that of conversation on the same subject. 
It should correspond to the subject, and the relation between the 
parties—to friends, familiar; to relatives, affectionate; to chil¬ 
dren, simple and playful; to inferiors, courteous; to superiors, 
respectful; on important subjects, impressive; in condolence, sym¬ 
pathetic; in congratulation, joyous. 

786. In business letters, fewer words are used than in conver¬ 
sation about the same matter. A literary style should not be at¬ 
tempted in writing business letters. One should speak to the 
point, and stop when he has reached it. A person who is able to 
express himself clearly and effectively in conversation will experi¬ 
ence no difficulty in doing the same in his letters. One should not 
attempt to imitate others in his language, but should be original in 
letter writing as in conversation. Specimen letters should be used 
as models only for the form, and as suggestions of what one may 
write in his own way. Much originality of expression may be 
displayed, even in the most formal and ordinary business letters. 

787. Good English.—Language, like manners, is learned for 
the most part by imitation. To become familiar with good language 
one should read the best literature, and associate with educated 
people. A person may thus unconsciously learn to use good lan¬ 
guage, just as a child brought up among refined people generally 




148 


LETTER WRITING 


has good manners. The writing in one’s letters is largely a re¬ 
flection of his conversation or reading. 

788. Public and descriptive letters admit of the use of more or 
less flowery language, but in ordinary letters, such figures should be 
used sparingly, as they would be, under like circumstances, in con¬ 
versation. Do not write about mere nothings, or repeat simply for 
the purpose of filling space. 

789. Small words.—In our letters, as in conversation, we 
should not use too many large words. Give preference to the 
common and home words of our language. Our best orators and 
writers use very few uncommon words. It is generally better to use 
do than “perform,” see than “perceive,” tired than “fatigued,” have 
than “possess,” etc. 

790. Foreign words.—Use few if any foreign words and 
phrases. In correspondence they are usually indulged in by those 
who like to display learning, rather than by those who are the most 
scholarly. 

791. Slang words and phrases.—It is quite common now¬ 
adays to acquire in conversation, or in the street, a vocabulary of 
slang words. It is bad enough to use these in conversation, with¬ 
out putting them into writing. Do not use them in letters. 

792. Sentences.—Short sentences, particularly in business cor¬ 
respondence, are to be preferred to long ones. It is a common fault 
to run sentences together, uniting them by and and but, when it 
would be far better to make simple sentences. 

793. Grammatical accuracy.— A person who has business cor¬ 
respondence to do should understand the ordinary rules of grammar, 
and though he may not express himself in every instance in the 
best form, as he would in a studied composition, he should be care¬ 
ful to avoid grammatical errors. Any one will find the reading of 
good books and papers a great aid in the correct use of language. 

794. In general.—Write legibly and with care ; spell correctly; 
punctuate and paragraph carefully; avoid interlineations, erasures, 
and blots. Do not economize in paper by writing crosswise. So 
write that your correspondents may always have a higher opinion of 
you after reading each letter. 

795. If a letter is worth writing, it is worth writing carefully. 
—Do not write anonymous letters.—Avoid writing letters with 
pencil, or with ink of any other color than black.—Do not fill a 
letter with apologies and repetitions.—As a rule, private matters 
should not be mentioned in business letters.—Do not hesitate to 



MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 


149 


write of the commonplace things in social correspondence; it is 
usually the small things of every-day life that prove the most in¬ 
teresting in such letters.—Always mention the amount, when you 
enclose a check or other remittance, and do not say “ Please find 
enclosed;” omit the ‘please.’ Say ‘please’ only when you make a 
request that may or may not be granted.—Begin a new paragraph 
when you introduce an entirely new subject.—Avoid the repetition 
of words in the same sentence or sentences near each other; use 
another word with the same meaning. 

796. Complete letter-writers are books giving model letters, 
so-called, on all subjects. Some young persons fall into the habit 
of copying these almost word for word, instead of writing original 
letters. This is a bad practice. It is better to send a poorly con¬ 
structed letter, of which you are the author, than a copied ‘model.’ 

A young man who copied and used such a letter proposing marriage, 
received a reply saying, “You will find my answer on the next page.” It was 
a polite refusal. 

797. Date of letter answered. —In answering a business letter, 
always mention its date; as, ‘Your letter of the 5th inst. is at hand.’ 
This may save your correspondent much time, as it is often neces¬ 
sary for him to refer to his previous letter on the same subject. 

798. Enclosing a stamp. —In writing to a person on a subject 
that does not directly interest him, and concerns only yourself, you 
should always enclose a stamp if you desire an answer. Do not 
expect a person to spend his time and pay postage besides, when 
writing about something that interests only yourself. 

799. A single stamp enclosed should be fastened to the paper, 
so it may not drop out and be lost when the letter is opened. This 
may be done by sticking the gummed margin that is usually con¬ 
nected with the outer row of a sheet of stamps; by cutting two 
slits near together in the paper, with a pen-knife, or by sticking 
one corner of a stamp to the paper. The first two methods are 
preferable, as by the last, one corner of the stamp may be torn 
when it is removed. 

800. Remittances. —In opening letters containing a remit¬ 
tance, always count the money, at once, or notice carefully the 
amount of a check, draft, or other form of remittance, to see 
whether it agrees with the sum mentioned, and make a memo¬ 
randum of the amount on the letter or envelope, or mark as 
correct the reference in the letter of the inclosure. 

801. Figures. —As a rule, figures should not be used in the 
body of a letter, except in writing dates and sums of money. How- 



150 


LETTER WRITING 


ever, if many numbers are to be written in a letter, much time may 
be saved, both in the writing and in the reading, by expressing them 
in figures. A sum should not be written in words in one place in the 
letter, and in figures in another, where used in the same sense. 

802. Answers.—Nearly every letter should be answered, if it 
is not insulting. Such letters may be ignored, or returned; it is 
usually better to return them. Letters requiring an answer, should 
be answered promptly. In fact, prompt people are usually the most 
successful in business. The answer will ordinarily correspond in 
style to the letter answered, being written upon the same subject. 

803. Recapitulation.—It is well in the beginning of a business 
letter to refer briefly to the subject and date of the letter to which 
it is an answer. This will call to the mind of your correspondent 
his letter to you, and perhaps save him time in looking up the sub¬ 
ject; besides, your letters then, when filed, are something of a 
history of the transaction. 

804. Care of letters.—Answered and unanswered letters 
should be kept separate. An answered letter on an important 
subject should always be filed for future reference. There are 
many systems of filing now used in business. If you employ no 
better method, the letters may be simply folded to a uniform size; 
and,, on one end of the back, the name of the writer, date of its 
receipt, and date of answer may be written. It is also well to 
indicate briefly the subject of the communication. This will often 
save time in opening a letter and reading it. 

COPYING AND FILING 

805. Copying letters.—It is well to preserve copies of all 
important letters. Until recently the plan most used by business 
men was to make letter-press copies, which gave a facsimile. If 
the letter be dictated’ to a stenographer, his shorthand notes may 
be preserved. A better method, and one which is fast growing in 
favor, is to have a carbon copy made when the letter is typewritten, 
and file it with the letter to which it is an answer. For purposes 
of reference, the advantage of having the answers right with the 
letters is obvious. 

806. Vertical File.—The vertical letter file cabinet contains 
drawers of sufficient depth to allow letters to be filed on their edges 
instead of laying them flat. A folder, cut from manilla paper is 
prepared for each correspondent. The letters from one person 



VERTICAL FILE 


151 


firm, or company are laid down in the order of their dates, the 
latest on top. Next to each letter is laid a carbon copy of the 
answer to that letter. This package is then slipped loosely into 
the folder, which consists of only two leaves, and the whole is set 
on edge in the drawer, and all the folders in the drawer are arranged 
alphabetically (see Fig. 2), or numerically, and indexed. The 
name of the correspondent may be written on the upper edge of 
the folder, and the projecting tabs show just where to place any 
given folder, as in Fig. 8 on next page. 


Fig. 2 


Fig. 1 



Fig. 5 


Fig. 4 


Fig. 3 


807. Numerical System. —By the numerical system, each cor¬ 
respondent is assigned a number. A separate card index, similar to 
that used in public libraries, is prepared, by means of which any 
correspondent’s number can be instantly found. The manilla divi¬ 
sions of the vertical letter file are numbered in regular order on 
the right-hand corner, and a projecting tab shows every tenth or 
























152 


LETTER WRITING 


twentieth number on the left-hand corner. See Figs. 5 and 9. 
The numerical system is better than the direct alphabetic system 
for a business in which there are fifty thousand or more active 
correspondents. 




F ig. 6 Fig. 7 

808. Follow-up System.—This is a card-index system op¬ 
erated in connection with the vertical files in such a way as to 
bring important matters to attention automatically , and at the 
proper time. For the details of this system see Paragraphs 727 
to 733. 




Fig. 8 Pig ^ 

809. Special Systems.—Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7 show Other 
systems where it is desired to file letters or other papers geo¬ 
graphically, or according to some other principle of classification. 
The cuts are all self-explanatory. The peculiarities of any filing 
system are so easily learned in the office where the system is used 
that no further instruction is needed here. 

810. Beginning and ending.—Social and private letters should 
begin in an easy and natural way. Business letters may be a little 
more formal or abrupt in the beginning. The former should 
generally close with some expression of affection or compliment, in 






MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 


153 


addition to the complimentary close. Such expressions are often a 
part of the last sentence; as, ‘Wishing you continued success, I am, 
Yours sincerely; ‘Looking forward, with pleasure, to an early inter¬ 
view, I am, Yours cordially‘Trusting your trip may prove both 
pleasurable and profitable, I am, Yours respectfully.’ 

811. Truthfulness.—In writing, as in talking, we should al¬ 
ways be strictly truthful. Untruthfulness often leads to unfair deal¬ 
ing and possibly to crime, while strict truthfulness and honesty in 
small, as well as large things, gains the confidence of others, and is 
best as a matter of policy, if for no higher motive. True and 
lasting success comes only from honor and strict integrity. 

812. The right envelope.—Great care should be taken to see 
that one uses the right envelope for each letter. As soon as as en¬ 
velope is directed, if the writer does not immediately insert the 
letter, he should place it under the flap of the envelope. If these 
letters are to be folded later by a clerk, he should pick them up one 
at a time and glance at the name in the letter and on the envelope, 
before folding, to see that they are the same. 

813. Junior and Senior.—The abbreviations for these words 
are Jr. or Jun., and Sr. or Sen. The former is used by the son, and 
the latter by the father, when both have the same name. The son 
usually discontinues the use of 7r.’ upon the death of his father. 
The abbreviation should immediately follow the name. It does not 
take the place of any title, and it should begin with a capital. 

814. Paging.—If a letter consists of more than one sheet, the 
leaves should be paged and arranged in proper order. The initials 
of the person written to, and the date in figures, (as, H. T. L .— 
2 - 14 - 12 ) should be written at the top of each sheet, except the first, 
in addition to the figure giving the number of the page. 

815. Postal Cards.—The superscription of a postal card 
should be the same as that of an envelope. On the opposite side 
should be the address and date in full, the body of the message, 
and the signature. The salutation and complimentary close should 
be omitted. Nothing may be pasted upon, or attached in any way 
to, a postal card, but thin sheets may be pasted on a post card. See 
Par. 989. Important or private matters should never be written on 
postal cards. 

816. Abbreviations, quotations, and contractions should be 
used sparingly in letters. Life is short, but long enough to write 
words in full in letters. Do not write such contractions as ‘don’t,’ 
‘can’t,’ ‘isn’t,’ etc. Spell out all words in full instead of contracting, 





154 


LETTER WRITING 


and do not write for and. If any abbreviations are used, em¬ 
ploy the forms that are accepted by common usage. Never abbreviate 
words that are not ordinarily abbreviated. In very formal corres¬ 
pondence, titles, given names, states, and all words that might 
ordinarily be abbreviated, should be spelled out in full. No proper 
name should be abbreviated; as, Balto. for Baltimore; Phila. for 
Philadelphia, and N. O. for New Orleans. When two abbrevia¬ 
tions identical in form come together, as ‘Main St./ ‘St. Louis/ 
one of the words should be spelled out in full. 

817. An apostrophe may be used to mark the ommission of a 
letter or letters from a word (as o’er, ne’er), when the word is said 
to be contracted; or, a period should follow the abbreviation 
(as agt., or amt.). The apostrophe and period should 
not both be used in connection with the same word. Do 
not abbreviate an abbreviation, as “Mess.” for Messrs. A 
few abbreviations of personal names are allowable in ordinary 
correspondence, because of very long use; such as, Chas., Jas., 
Wm., Thos., and some others; but in reading such abbreviations, 
pronounce them as you do the full name. Do not use an apostrophe 
to indicate an abbreviation; as, “Cha’s,” but write it Chas. (with a 
period after the abbreviation). Names should be spelled in full in 
formal correspondence. 

818. Courtesy.—Be courteous in correspondence as well as in 
conversation. This has proved an important element in the success 
of many persons. With some, it is their capital and stock in trade. 
It has made the fortune of many a man. Other things being equal, 
we all prefer to do business with the man who is agreeable and 
courteous in his dealings; and these qualities, therefore, increase his 
business. What is true of conversation applies also to business 
done through the medium of correpondence. 

819. Instant, ultimo, proximo .—Instant is almost always used 
in the abbreviated form ‘inst.’ In correspondence, it means ‘pres¬ 
ent month.’ Ultimo, abbreviated ‘ult.’ or ‘ulto.’, in correspondence, 
means ‘the month last past.’ Proximo, abbreviated ‘prox.’, means, in 
correspondence, ‘next’ or ‘coming month.’ These abbreviations are 
most used in letters to refer to the date of the letter one is 
answering. 

820. Spelling.—If you are in the least doubt as to the spelling 
of a word, look it up in the dictionary before writing it. The writ¬ 
ing of letters may be made a constant education in spelling and 
composition, if one is careful to do his best, and interested in avoid¬ 
ing all kinds of mistakes. Many errors are made through careless- 



MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 


155 


ness. Do not be satisfied to send out a letter if you are in doubt as 
to the construction of any sentence or the spelling of any word. 

821. Errors in Letters.—Never send a letter marred by blots, 
erasures, or corrections. Re-write as often as necessary to make it 
perfect. This applies especially to business letters. The future of 
many a person has been made or marred by care or carelessness in 
these essential details. Even in writing to intimate friends or rela¬ 
tives there should be enough respect due to prevent the sending of 
any but a neatly prepared letter. Errors in spelling, use of capitals, 
or in language, show a lack of education, and these are excusable 
only in persons who find bliss in ignorance and believe “ Tis folly 
to be wise.” 

822. Underlining.—Emphasis is indicated in type by italics, 
but in writing or typewritten work by underscoring. Underlining 
should be done very sparingly, for much of it weakens, rather 
than adds emphasis. 

823. Postscript, from the Latin, Postscriptum, is almost 
always abbreviated P. S. It should follow the signature, and it 
should begin as far to the right of the left margin as do the para¬ 
graphs. The ordinary and obvious use of the postscript is to add 
an afterthought to the letter. It is frequently used, however, for 
emphasis and this use is often very effective; for illustration, a 
common-place letter upon an unimportant subject may be written to 
make the occasion of bringing in as a postscript a point that could 
not be made the main subject of a letter. The signature, if any, to 
a postscript should be only the initials of the writer. 

824. Try to say what you desire to say in the body of a letter 
and avoid postscripts. Sometimes they are useful, but the frequent 
use of postscripts lessens their power for any special service. Never 
write a message of affection, congratulation, or condolence as a 
postscript, for what might be a compliment or comfort in the body 
of the letter may prove an insult if written as a postscript. 

825. Nota Bene means ‘Note Well/ and is abbreviated N. B. 
Like the postscript it should follow the signature of the letter, and 
may come before or after the postscript; that is, it may qualify 
either the letter or the postscript. Its first and most important use 
is to calLspecial attention to something that the writer thinks his 
correspondent may fail to notice or appreciate. The Nota Bene 
may have a postscript, but should never have a Nota Bene. 

826. Indorsement of Letters.—Business letters are often re¬ 
ferred to a third person, in which case it is customary to write 




156 


LETTER WRITING 


‘Respectfully submitted/ ‘Respectfully referred to - for 

-/ closing with the signature, and giving the date of refer¬ 
ence, either with rubber stamp or pen. 

827. Sealing.—All letters, except formal notes, should be care¬ 
fully sealed. Care should be taken not to soil the envelope. In 
sealing an ordinary gummed envelope, it is well to place a blotter or 
clean sheet of paper over the envelope instead of having the hand 
come in contact with it. Ladies often seal their social letters with 
wax, using a seal on which their initial or initials have been 
engraved. Letters of recommendation, introduction, and some 
formal notes, when delivered personally, should not be sealed. 

828. Address.—One should always be very careful to give his 
full address accurately, especially in letters on important matters. 
Many letters remain unanswered because of the writer’s lack of care 
in this respect. 

829. Hasty Answers.—One should not answer a letter while 
angry, nor, as a rule, when he is inclined to say severe things. It 
is better to wait, when probably the style of the letter will be 
entirely changed. Words hastily spoken, and letters written in 
haste or anger, one usually would like later to recall. Spoken words 
may soon be forgotten, but written words may be kept as a record 
against us for years. Most letters which seem to give ample provo-, 
cation for a sharp reply might better be unanswered. Hasty or 
vindictive words make enemies and endanger business, while kind 
words make and hold friends. 

830. Promptness.—All business letters should be answered 
promptly. The man who always remits promptly and answers 
letters promptly is likely to please his correspondents, and this helps 
one’s business. The degree of promptness required in answering 
social letters depends upon one’s relations to his correspondent. 

831. Present.—The word “Present” was formerly often writ¬ 
ten on the envelope of formal letters delivered by a messenger, 
but its use has now become nearly or quite obsolete. 

832. Friendship and Business should not be mixed in letters. 
Ordinarily it would not be objectionable to use the same envelope 
for both, but the letters should be written on different sheets. 

833. Dunning Letters.—Two points should be kept in view in 
writing letters urging the payment of money; one, to obtain the 
money; the other, to avoid giving offense to the customer. Such a 
letter should be plain and business-like, not abrupt nor dictatorial, 
nor worded in a way to put the debtor in a spirit of resentment. 






MISCELLANEOUS HINTS 


157 


The letter should rather be written in a friendly tone, and so worded 
that it will not offend. Oftentimes a complimentary and exception¬ 
ally friendly letter may induce one to pay when other means would 
have failed. An appeal to one’s honor may, in some cases, prove 
effective. Threats and harsh words will hardly accomplish the 
desired object in any case. If the debtor has property, however, so 
that the claim is legally collectible, a threat of appeal to the law may 
induce payment when urgent and friendly letters have failed. 

834. Titles.—Read what is said of titles on pages 171 and 190. 
Never use both of two such titles as ‘Mr.’ and ‘Esquire’ at the 
same time (a common error) ; if you use one, omit the other. 
Persons of good taste do not use titles in signing letters. Rev., 
Hon., Prof., etc., are prefixed by others to the names of persons 
entitled to them, but no one should write such a title before his own 
name. 

835. Length of Business Letters.—Business letters, as a rule, 
should be short and to the point. Even if the writer have time at 
his command to write long letters, the one to whom he writes might 
be much better pleased with short communications. A man of 
business, who each day receives a large number of letters that 
must be answered, does not have time nor inclination to read long 
essays, when the business in hand could be expressed in few words. 
In some cases, however, a long letter may be more pleasing to the 
recipient and better for the writer, because it accomplishes what a 
short letter would not. It is necessary to go into detail when writ¬ 
ing upon some subjects, even in connection with business, and 
letters soliciting business may often very properly be written at 
some length. A letter giving an order, acknowledging receipt of a 
remittance, and most other business letters need not be long. At 
the same time, they may be courteous and pleasing to the one who 
reads them. 

836. Order of pages.—In recent years it has become, among 
certain classes, the fashion to write upon the first page, skip to the 
third, return to the second, skip to the fourth, etc.. It is an absurd, 
as well as an annoying, practice, and should be discouraged. 

837. Heading at end of a letter.-^-The custom of writing the 
date at the lower left corner, is, to say the least, annoying to those 
who desire to note at once the date of the letter. It is better not to 
indulge in any eccentricities in business letters. Busy people do 
not have time to look in unusual places for headings, addresses, 
signatures, etc. 



158 


LETTER WRITING 


838. Signatures.—While every word in a letter should be 
plainly written, especial care should be taken in writing the name, 
that there may be no possible question as to how it is spelled. 
Signing the name hurriedly, with lack of care, may cause much 
loss of time on the part of the reader, who is not familiar with the 
name, and he may not even then be able to spell it correctly. Some¬ 
times a signature is so illegible that it becomes necessary to cut out 
the name and paste it on the envelope of the answer, trusting to 
the post office experts, or the postmaster at the office of delivery, 
to read it. 

839. Every letter should be signed. It is astonishing how 
many letters are mailed without any signature, especially typewrit¬ 
ten letters. So many unsigned letters are sent that some firms have 
printed blanks, which they fill out and mail to the postmaster of 
the office at which the letter was mailed, informing him that a 
letter has been received from his office containing so much money, 
if that be the fact, and that no name was signed to the letter. Post¬ 
masters are requested to ascertain, if possible, who mailed the letter, 
and in many cases they are able, in this way, to learn the name of the 
writer. All of this trouble and loss of time is caused by the lack of 
a very little care on the part of the writer, and it is not certain, 
even then, that his identity will be discovered. 

840. Paragraphing.—A paragraph should include the sen¬ 
tences that have a close relation to each other. For example: if, 
after giving directions as to shipping goods, the writer complain of 
delay in filling a previous order, this complaint should form the 
subject of a new paragraph. The number of paragraphs to use 
depends entirely upon the sense. A letter may have few or many. 

841. Paragraphs are useful in marking the divisions of the 
writer’s thought, and thus securing the reader’s attention, by empha¬ 
sizing the different points presented. When a letter is answered, the 
different topics in it are less likely to be overlooked if each be the 
subject of a separate paragraph. 




TELEGRAMS 


159 


TELEGRAMS 

842. Telegrams are so much used in business, that to be 
able to write a good message is one of the desirable qualifications 
for a business man. 

843. In telegraphic dispatches we omit the salutation and com¬ 
plimentary close. Such messages should be expressed in the fewest 
possible words to make the meaning clear. Until one has had 
experience in this kind of composition, it is well to write the 
message at length, and then cut out all unnecessary words, if 
difficulty be experienced in otherwise expressing the meaning in 
few words. 

844. Be careful not to condense so much as to make the 
message unintelligible; one may thus, by trying to save the slight 
extra cost of a word or two, lose what is paid for the whole tele¬ 
gram, besides failing in the object for which it is sent. Read your 
message carefully after it is written, and see whether it states clearly 
what you mean. It might be well to read the telegram to a dis¬ 
interested person, if it be an especially important one, to see whether 
it is understood by others. Regular telegraph blanks, like the form 
shown on page 162, are furnished by the telegraph companies. 

845. Numerals and characters in a message must be written 
in words, as “$60.00” would be written sixty dollars, and “10%” 
should be written ten per cent. 

846. It is not necessary to insert words of urgency, as ‘at 
once/ ‘immediately/ etc.; the fact that a telegram is sent implies 
urgency. 

847. Messengers must leave a notice at the place of address, 
when a person authorized to receive the message cannot be found. 

CIPHER TELEGRAMS AND CABLE MESSAGES 

848. Much of the telegraphing by business houses is in cipher. 
Important matters may thus be telegraphed without giving in¬ 
formation, except to those entitled to it, and at a great saving in ex¬ 
pense. This is done by preparing a code of words, arranged alpha¬ 
betically in which a single word stands for a phrase or sentence; as, 




160 


LETTER WRITING 


Abide may mean ‘I arrived here today.’ This code is printed and a 
copy furnished by the house to each of its traveling men, and the 
principal firms with whom it does business. It is mostly used in 
ordering goods, and for communication between traveling men and 
their employers. 

849. To preserve secrecy, many ingenious “ciphers” have been 
devised. Even the alphabetic rotation may be varied; thus, “Uif 
Xfut xjmm cf sfjogpsdfe jo uif mpccz upnpsspx. Ipme uif gpsu,” 
looks like a senseless assemblage of unpronounceable words; but 
if we take for each letter the one preceding it in the alphabet, the 
message reads, “The Wets will be reinforced in the lobby tomorrow. 
Hold the fort.” 

850. Cable messages used to cost several dollars per word, 
and although the rates have been greatly reduced, this method of 
communication is still so expensive that large code books have been 
prepared and arranged alphabetically, in which one word is made to 
represent a phrase or a whole sentence. Before code books were 
written, some ingenious tricks were played with language. A young 
man sojourning with his mother in France, desiring to inform 
friends in America when his mother would start for home, worded 
his message thus, “Marseilles Monday.” 

851. To preserve absolute secrecy, even if the message should 
wrongfully fall into the hands of one who has access to the same 
code book, a key word composed of ten different letters is agreed 
upon, and then the number of the message is represented by these 
letters after the fashion of marking goods by letters on price tickets. 

852. Thus, suppose the key word agreed upon is | 

PLAIN WORDS 
12345 67890 

with the letters numbered as here shown. Then suppose the 
message received reads: I N S R. We readily translate this 
into the number 4 5 0 8, and by reference to the code book we 
find the message by number, instead of by word, to be, “Full 
description will be sent as soon as possible.” 

853. Cable tariff is so much per word including name, address, 
and signature, and a word containing more than ten letters counts 



TELEGRAMS 


161 


as two words. Since in cablegrams the tariff is counted on all 
words transmitted, each firm having much foreign trade invents a 
code word to represent its name and address in full, and that code 
word is registered with the cable company. Thus, “Atlynski” 
means “The Atlantic Refining Company, Cleveland, Ohio.” 
“Tepatebo” means “The Practical Text Book Co., Cleveland, Ohio.” 
As examples of code work, a few sample messages are given from 
the A B C Code. 


SELECTIONS FROM THE ABC CODE 


4 0 3 3 
4 4 0 7 

4 5 0 8 

5 6 8 4 


Darkness 

Dentocher 

Desempeser 

Exigency 


Not so much damage as anticipated 

Demand still continues, though not quite so 
brisk 

Full description will be sent as soon as possible 
No further expenses to be incurred until you 
hear from us 


854. Names of messages according to method of transmission. 
A message sent by wire is called a telegram. 

A message sent by cable is called a cablegram. 

A message sent by wireless is called an aerogram, or a Marconi- 


gram. 

855. Rates.—Telegraph companies charge a certain amount 
for a message not exceeding ten words, and extra for each additional 
word, the cost depending upon the distance, the transfers, etc. The 
name of the place from which the message is sent, date, address, 
and the signature are not counted in determining the number of 
words, except in cable messages. Compound words, as found in dic¬ 
tionaries, are counted as one word. Each initial in a name is 
charged as a separate word, but the initials, ‘C. O. D.’ (collect on 
delivery), ‘f. o. b.’ (free on board) ‘A. M.,’ ‘P. M.,’ and a few other 
abbreviations are sent as one word. 

856. All unpronounceable groups of letters are counted one 
word for each letter; as, Cpr., Chd., Wss., which are combinations 
of the initials of the names of firms or corporations. They are not 
accepted as one word. 



162 


LETTER WRITING 


WESTERN UNION BLANK FOR DAY MESSAGE 


THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY 


25,000 OFFICES IN AMERICA. 

ROBERT C. CLOWRY. PRESIDENT 


CABLE SERVICE TO ALL THE WORLD 

. _ BELVIDERE BROOKS. GENERAL MANAGER 


Send 


8d 7. Night messages.—Telegraph companies send messages 
at night, when their business is light, at greatly reduced rates. 
Such messages are not delivered until the following morning. 

The Western Union sends a fifty-word Day Letter for one 
and one-half times the ten-word rate. 

858. Night Lettergram.—Night messages of fifty words or 
more are called lettergrams. A lettergram must be written in plain 
English, not in cipher or code, and will be received not later than 
midnight, to be transmitted and delivered not earlier than the morn¬ 
ing of the next ensuing business day. The standard day rate for 
ten words is charged for a night lettergram of fifty words or less, 
and one-fifth of thy day rate for ten words is charged for each 
additional ten words or less. Thus, fifty-one words cost the same 
as sixty words, etc. Night lettergrams may, at the option of the 
telegraph company, be delivered by mail instead of by messenger. 


POSTAL TELEGRAPH BLANK FOR NIGHT 
LETTERGRAM 


POSTAL TELEGRAPH-CABLE COMPANY 



WIGHT LETTERGRAM 


Dm Postal TalafraphCaMs Company (ouapa 


ClARCNCC M. MACK Ay. 


Numbc*. TlMK PIUD. 


INDEPENDEN T competitive progressive 


TT . Mone y by telegraph.—The following are the Western 

Union Telegraph Co.’s rates, not including the cost of the telegram: 

First. One per cent on all sums of $25 or more, and twenty- 
five cents in each case for smaller amounts. 



























THE TELEPOST 


163 


Second.—For the message, double tolls, at regular day rates, 
on a single message of fifteen words, between the transfer places! 
However, not more than $2.70 is charged, so that no single transfer 
will cost more than $2.70 in addition to the percentage first named. 

Deposits for transfers must be made in current bankable money. 
Checks are not taken, nor fractional parts of a dollar transferred. 

The order transferring money may require identification of the 
payee, or it may waive identification. 


THE TELEPOST 

860. The telepost is a combination of the telegraph and mail 
service. It is a new system of telegraphy employing machines by 
means of which a thousand words per minute are sent over one 
telegraph wire. This method of telegraphing is destined to make 
telegrams as common as postal cards. One wire by this method 
will carry as much business as can be sent over sixty-five wires by 
the old method. 

861. Telepost rates.—The rates for telepost messages are the 
same for all distances. In this respect they are like postage rates. 
A ten-word “telecard” is telegraphed to the nearest station, and 
from there sent by postal card, for ten cents. A fifty-word “tele- 
post” is delivered by mail at destination for twenty-five cents. A 
one-hundred word “teletape” is delivered by messenger for twenty- 
five cents, the tape itself, containing the telegraph characters, being 
delivered without being transcribed. 

862. For short distances the telepost has only slight advantages 
over the mail, but for long distances the advantage is very great. A 
telepost message from New York to Philadelphia would be de¬ 
livered only two or three hours sooner than a letter sent by mail; 
but a telepost from New York to San Francisco would be delivered 
in as short a time as the one to Philadelphia; and for the same 
price; while a letter sent to San Francisco by mail would require 
several days; and an ordinary telegram, though delivered per¬ 
haps an hour sooner, would cost many times the price. 

863. The telepost originated in the year 1910, and early in 
1911 had established working centers in Boston, Portland, Louis¬ 
ville, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Omaha, St. Louis, and Chicago. 
From these centers it is rapidly spreading its lines over the whole 
United States. 






164 


LETTER WRITING 


ADVERTISING 

864. The writing of circulars and newspaper advertisements 
has come to be an art at the present day. In our larger cities, men 
who make this their profession give their entire time to writing 
advertisements for anybody that may apply, and is willing to pay 
for such services. With the competition we have now, in almost 
all kinds of business, there is no doubt that the success of many firms 
is due largely to their style of advertising. The subject, therefore, 
is worthy of special and careful attention. To know just what to 
say, and how to say it, in a way that will attract the attention and 
win the patronage of the reader, is an art well worth acquiring. 
With the ceaseless and sharp competition that most business houses 
have to meet, it seems necesary to do more or less advertising, in 
one way or.another. We should, therefore, study to make our 
advertisements attractive and to the point. The business man on 
account of his better knowledge of his business, can, perhaps, write 
his own advertisements better than anyone he can employ. 

On the other hand, a professional advertisement writer would 
probably write in a more direct, attractive, and convincing manner 
A business man who is to write his own advertising, should studv 
the art and science of advertising, and the advertising agent should 
study the business of his client and the needs of the public. 

865. Where pictures can be used, it may require the services 
of an artist to determine the best form of illustration. Study the 
advertisements in magazines and newspapers. Also, examine care- 
fully the trade journals and technical publications for ideas which 
can be adapted to your line. If a certain advertisement appeals to 
you try to determine what gives it the drawing power. Is it the 
greater white space in proportion to solid matter? Is it the catchy 
head-line? Is it the appropriateness of the illustration? Is it the qual¬ 
ity of the illustration as a work of art? Is it the ingenious twist given 
to some proverb or quotation? Is it the force of logic in the argu¬ 
ment used? Is it the convincing power of a certain testimonial? 
Is it the price? the quality? the terms of payment? Is it the fact 
which speaks to your judgment, or the fiction which tickles your 
fancy? Is it the general information as to trade or manufacture 
or the particular details of an individual proprietor? Sometimes it 
is one thing, sometimes another, but there is always somethin^— 
and by persistent study one can learn to discover the source of merit 
!I J. . e advertisements he reads. The recognition of this kind of 

inyourself erS ^ ° pCrate aS an ins P iration to develop originality 





SOCIAL AFFAIRS 


16 $ 


SOCIAL AFFAIRS 

NOTES AND CARDS 

866. Most of us have more or less to do with visiting, busi¬ 
ness, and professional cards, and the various social forms, such as 
invitations, acceptances, regrets, cards of thanks, etc. 

A few general hints are here given in reference to them, with¬ 
out devoting much space to this part of the work. 

867. Special features. —The following are the ways in which 
notes differ from letters: they are more formal; they are written 
wholly in the third person; the date is usually at A he bottom, and 
the signature is generally omitted. 

868. Care should be taken not to change from the third person 
to the first or second. The following is an example of such error: 

“Miss Jones is much obliged to Mr. Smith for his handsome Christmas 
present. I would have written you sooner if I had not been out of the city.” 

869. Materials.—The paper and envelopes should be plain and 
of rich quality. For weddings use pure white, but delicate tints are 
allowable for other occasions. White is always in good taste. 

Size.—-The styles as to size and shape vary so much and change 
so often that no definite information is here given on this subject. 

Envelopes.—Invitations to parties, weddings, etc., are generally 
enclosed in two envelopes; the inside envelope of the same quality 
as the paper, the outside one not so fine. The full post office address 
is written on the outer envelope, and the name or names of those 
invited on the inner envelope. Answers to invitations do not 
require two envelopes, nor do personal or private notes. 

870. French Phrases. —The following French phrases and 
words, or their initials, are sometimes used on notes and cards: 

R. S. V. P.— Repondez sil vous plait ,—Answer, if you please. 

P. P. C.— Pour prendre conge, —To take leave. 

Costume de rigueur, —Full dress, in character. 

Bal masque, —Masquerade ball. 

Soiree dansante, —Dancing party. 

These phrases are, however, passing out of use. 

WEDDING INVITATIONS 

871. Invitations to weddings should be issued by the bride’s 
parents or nearest friend, ten days or more before the ceremony. 
They may be engraved in script, written, or printed from type, 
on cards or note paper. The note form is preferable for an invita- 



166 


LETTER WRITING 


tion of this kind. The form of invitation following does not 
require an answer. It is usually accompanied by a church admis¬ 
sion card, and sometimes a reception card is also sent with the 
invitation. 


Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Collins 
invite you to be present 
at the marriage of their daughter 
Edith 
to 

Mr. Harry K. Hollozvay, 

Tuesday, June twenty-eighth, 

Nineteen hundred and twelve, 
at eight o'clock, 

Grace Church, 

Kansas City, Missouri. 

872. Announcement. —Sometimes an announcement card or 
note is issued after the wedding, announcing the marriage, and en¬ 
closing a reception card to the friends whom it is desired to receive. 
The following is one of the numerous forms that may be used: 


Mr. Charles S. Cadwallader, 
Miss Caroline A. Young, 
Married, 

Monday, April nineteenth, 1912 . 
At Home, 

Tuesday, May 25 th and June 1 st , 
96 Prospect Avenue, 
Buffalo, N. Y. 


873. Wedding Anniversaries.— People sometimes celebrate 
anniversaries of their marriage, and this is a commendable custom, 









4 

































































































> 






























































































































































































t 





























SOCIAL AFFAIRS 


167 


if the occasion be made one of congratulation and reminiscence, not 
of formality and ostentation. The following are observed: 

The first anniversary is called the Paper Wedding; fifth, Wooden Wed¬ 
ding; tenth, Tin Wedding; fifteenth, Crystal (glass) Wedding; twentieth, 
China Wedding; twenty-fifth. Silver Wedding; thirtieth, Pearl Wedding; 
fortieth, Coral Wedding; forty-fifth, Bronze Wedding; fiftieth, Golden Wed¬ 
ding; and the seventy-fifth, Diamond Wedding. 


DINNERS 

874. A well appointed dinner is one of the pleasantest oc¬ 
casions of social life. The company being more select than at 
ordinary parties, greater care is observed in regard to all arrange¬ 
ments. To avoid mistakes, one should be careful as to the day 
and hour named in the invitation, and each should be addressed to 
the person for whom it is intended. 

875. The invitation may be either written or printed. Invita¬ 
tions to dinners should always be answered, as it is necessary for 
the host to know how many persons will be present on such an 
occasion. 


PARTIES 

876. Simple forms are in best taste for invitations to parties. 
The following is commended as a model: 

Senator and Mrs. Sherman request the pleasure 
of your company, on Wednesday Evening, January 
fourth, from eight to twelve o'clock. 

2 og Indiana Avenue. 


877. Familiar Notes. —If the persons are on intimate terms, 
the formal style of invitation may be omitted, and that of a familiar 
letter used instead; or for a child’s party a style like the following: 




168 


LETTER WRITING 


Come and see me, little friend, 

Some afternoon at three; 

Bring your Dolly, if you can, 

And stay till after tea. 

Harriette Ellen O'Donald, 

At Home, 

Wednesday afternoon, May third, 
Three o’clock. 

215 E. Tenth St., Topeka. 


ACCEPTANCES AND REGRETS 

878. Answers to invitations are of two kinds; acceptances 
and regrets. 

879. When Necessary. —Invitations to receptions, weddings, 
parties, and all other social entertainments, except dinners, do not 
require an acceptance, unless they contain the letters R. S. V. P., 
or their equivalent. Failure to answer is understood as an accept¬ 
ance. If a person be unable to attend, he should send his regrets. 

880. Dinners.—An invitation to a dinner or gathering of any 
kind where it is understood a certain number are invited, should 
always be accepted or declined. If, after accepting, a person finds 
it absolutely necessary to absent himself, he should immediately 
send a regret, stating reasons why he cannot attend. 

881. The time to send.—An invitation to a dinner should be 
answered immediately. Other invitations requiring an answer 
should be answered within three days after they are received. If 
a person finds, at the last moment, that it is impossible to attend, a 
regret should be sent the day after the party. 

882. Whom to address.— An answer, in general, should be 
addressed to the person giving the invitation. If it be a joint 
invitation from husband and wife (“Mr. and Mrs. John Smith”), 
it should contain a recognition of both, and the envelope should be 
addressed to the wife alone (“Mrs. John Smith”). 

883. Style.— An answer should correspond in style to the 
invitation, and be correspondingly formal or familiar. 

884. Reason of non-acceptance.— If a regret be sent, it is 
more friendly and courteous to give reasons for non-attendance, 
than simply to decline, without giving the cause. 




SOCIAL AFFAIRS 


169 


885. Delivery. —Notes addressed to a person living in an¬ 
other city, or out of town, are of course sent by mail, and are sent 
in this way to persons living in a distant part of the city. In 
other cases they are usually delivered by private messengers. 

CARDS 

886. Cards may be divided into the following classes: Visit¬ 
ing, ceremonial, professional and official, and business. 

887. Visiting cards. —The proper uses of a visiting card are: 

888. To announce the visitor's name .—On calling, a card is 
handed to the person who opens the door, and the caller inquires 
for the person or persons for whom the visit is intended. If “not 
at home/' the caller leaves a card. 

889. To announce a guest's name at a reception. —When a 
person attends a party or reception, he should hand his card to the 
usher at the door, and always leave one in the card receiver. 

890. To announce a departure from home .—A person living 
in the city may, on going away for a long absence, send to his 
friends a card with the letters P. P. C. on one of the lower corners. 

891. To announce a return. —It is proper to announce a re¬ 
turn to the city, by sending cards to visiting friends. 

892. To accompany a letter of introduction .—As before 
stated, a person’s card should be sent with a letter introducing him. 
It should bear his temporary address and be enclosed in an en¬ 
velope with the letter. 

893. To make one’s self known to a stranger, a person may 
use his card for introducing himself. 

894. To serve as a credential .—A card, especially a business 
or professional one, may be presented to a stranger as an indication 
that you are the person you represent yourself to be. 

895. Inscription. —In addition to the name, the residence 
may also be given in the lower right or left corner. If a lady has a 
regular day or days for receiving, she sometimes announces this 
in the lower left corner; as, “Wednesdays,” or “Thursdays and 
Fridays,” etc. 

896. The elder of two or more daughters in the same family 
usually omits her first name on her card; as, “Miss Smith;” while 
the younger daughter uses the given name; as, “Miss Mary Smith.” 











170 


LETTER WRITING 


897. Titles.—A title may be used or not, according to taste. 
Professional men and persons in high official positions, use their 
professional title on cards. A man and his wife sometimes use a 
joint card; as, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Dr. and Mrs. H. A. 
Brown,” etc. 

898. A married lady, if her husband is living, uses her hus¬ 
band’s Christian name or initials instead of her own; as, “Mrs. 
James A. Brown.” 

899. Style.—Visiting cards vary in style and size to suit the 
taste and changing fashions. They should always be plain and 
neat. The most elegant cards are engraved or written; printed 
ones are not now used by the more fashionable people. 

900. Ceremonial cards. —Cards may be used to convey in¬ 
vitations to parties, receptions, and weddings, but notes are usually 
preferable. 

901. Betrothal cards. —It is customary among some to an¬ 
nounce a betrothal, and for this purpose either cards or notes 
may be used. 

The following wording is a good form: “Mr. Solomon 
Weiss, Miss Rebecca Wolf, betrothed, December 6, 1912.” 

902. Presentation cards. —Cards are very convenient as sub¬ 
stitutes for notes, to accompany a book or any other gift. 

903. Memorial cards. —It is customary in England, and to 
some extent in this country, to send memorial cards to friends of a 
deceased person. Such cards have a black border, narrow for the 
young, wide for the aged. Memorial cards should be sent out 
about one week after the funeral. 

904. Professional and official cards. —Cards are used by pro¬ 
fessional men and public officers for professional and official pur¬ 
poses ; the same card may be used, however, for social and busi¬ 
ness purposes. The person’s name and his professional or official 
title should be given on such cards. 

905. Business cards. —Most business men use cards to show 
the business in which they are engaged, and to give their address. 
It is a convenience to others if one also has his telephone num¬ 
bers on cards to be used locally. These are generally used as a 
matter of convenience, although they may be made to answer 
advertising purposes. 

906. Generally business cards are handsomely engraved, but 
they may be printed from ordinary type. They should be plain, 
neat, and tasteful. 





% 



TITLES 


171 


TITLES 

907. There are no rules for the use of titles, except those 
established by usage. We give elsewhere a list of the principal 
titles and their correct use and abbreviations, as recognized in the 
best social, business, and official circles. 

908. Titles may be divided into three general classes, Social, 
Scholastic, and Official. 

909. Social titles.—Titles of courtesy and respect have uni¬ 
versal application and should always be used, unless some official 
or professional title supersedes them. 

910. The ordinary titles are Mister, Messieurs, Master (ap¬ 
plied to boys), Mistress, abbreviated Mrs. (pronounced misses), 
and Miss, all of which are prefixed to the name; also, Sir, Gentle¬ 
men (plural only), Madam (plural Mesdames ), and Ladies (plural 
only), which are always used without the name, as in the saluta¬ 
tion of a letter. Sir, Esquire, Master, and Miss, are used both in 
the singular and plural; Mrs. and Madam in the singular only. 

911. Mister.—The contraction for this is ‘Mr.’ and it is rarely 
used in any other form. It should never be used except in con¬ 
nection with the name, and always precedes it. ‘Mr/ has a wide 
range of application, as we appropriately say ‘Mr. President,’ ‘Mr. 
Chairman,’ ‘Mr. Speaker,’ ‘Mr. Secretary,’ ‘Mr. Chief Justice,’ 

‘Mr. Editor,’ ‘The Rev. Mr. -,’ etc. Messrs, is the French 

plural of Mr., there being no English plural of this word. Messrs, 
should never be used, as it sometimes is, without the names of the 
persons. It is as bad form to use Messrs, for the salutation of a 
letter as to use its singular, Mr. Never write “Mess.,” which is an 
abbreviation of an abbreviation. 

912. Mistress is nearly always used in the abbreviated form, 
Mrs. It is used to precede the name of a married woman, and 
corresponds very closely to Mr. 

913. There being no plural in our language for Mrs., the 
French plural of Madam, Mesdames (abbreviation Mmes.) is some¬ 
times used. This is the only title available in addressing a firm of 
ladies; otherwise, they would have to be addressed individually; as, 
“Mrs. Jones & Mrs. Smith.” The plural of the salutation Madam 
is Ladies. 

914. It is not good taste to use “Lady” instead of ‘Wife’ or 
‘Mrs.,’ although this custom was formerly in good usage in England. 
You should write ‘Mr. Smith and Wife,’ or ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith,’ 





172 


LETTER WRITING 


instead of “Mr. Smith and Lady.” ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Miss’ should never be 
used without the name, any more than ‘Mr.’ 

915. Miss.—This is not an abbreviation. It is used as a 
prefix and should never be used independently of the name. It 
has no independent appellative; there is no word in the English 
language that may be properly used as a salutation in addressing 
an unmarried lady. ‘Mr.’ has its correspondent ‘Sir,’ and ‘Mrs.’ 
its ‘Madam’ but there is none for ‘Miss’ or ‘Master.’ To address 
an unmarried lady as ‘Miss’ or ‘Dear Miss,’ for a salutation follow¬ 
ing the name and address, is as incorrect as it would be to use 
‘Mr.’ or ‘Dear Mr.’ for the salutation in addressing a man. 

916. Mister and Esquire.—These terms, as generally used, 
are interchangeable, but the former has a wider application than the 
latter. 

‘Mr.’ may be applied to men of all classes, but ‘Esquire’ is 
properly applied only to persons of some prominence in society. 
Members of the Legal profession are nearly always addressed in 
writing as Esquire. 

917. Special uses of Mr., Mrs., and Miss.—Though not 
directly pertaining to correspondence, there are some uses of these 
titles which are worthy of notice. 

918. To denote prominence.—As men rise to distinction, all 
their titles are often dropped, and the plain ‘Mr.’ used, which re¬ 
ceives lustre from their own character and work, and becomes to 
them a sign of true nobility. Hence we say, Mr. Sumner, Mr. 
Chase, Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Gladstone and other titles, such as 
senator, excellency, or honorable, would not be so impressive of the 
high esteem and respect with which such men are regarded by the 
people. 

Mrs. and Miss are used in the same way to denote distinction; 
as, Mrs. Stowe, Miss Dickinson. In speaking of persons of the 
very highest distinction, all titles may be rejected; as, for example, 
Shakespeare, Milton, Martin Luther, and Daniel Webster are most 
honored in their own illustrious names alone. 

It is presumptuous and disrespectful to mutilate and contract 
the names of prominent and elderly persons; as, “Andy Johnson,” 
“Ben Wade,” “Joe Johnson,” “Abe Lincoln,” etc. 

919. Three special uses of Mr.— i. If a person be the only 
one of the name in a certain place, or if his name be an unusual 
one, the title ‘Mr.’ may be prefixed to the family name alone; as, 
‘Mr. Jones,’ ‘Mr. Thackeray.’ 



TITLES 


173 


2 . ‘Mr/ is used among gentlemen meeting in a social, literary, 
or scientific way, in addressing all their companions whether they 
have a professional title or not; as, ‘Mr. Everett,’ ‘Mr. Bryant.’ 
This dropping of all other titles is due to the fact that on the floor 
of such assemblies all members are on an equality. 

j. ‘Mr.’ is often used before a professional or official title 
of prominent persons; as, ‘Mr. Senator/ ‘Mr. President,’ etc. ‘Rev¬ 
erend’ is also similarly used, or with ‘The’ prefixed; as ‘The Rev. 
Dr. Smith,’ ‘The Rev. Father Brown.’ The title ‘Rev.’ should 
never be used immediately before the surname. 

920. Scholastic titles.—These are degrees and honors con¬ 
ferred by scientific schools, colleges, universities, and other insti¬ 
tutions of learning, or acquired in the practice of the learned 
professions. Regular degrees are conferred upon those completing a 
prescribed course and passing a certain examination; honorary 
degrees on persons who have become distinguished in public life 
or in literary and scientific studies. 

921. Reverend.—The title ‘Rev.’ is not regularly conferred, 
but always given by consent to those who have passed a required 
examination and have been regularly ordained. President, Chan¬ 
cellor, Rector, Dean, Professor, and Master, as titles, belong to 
the office rather than to the officer, and when the duties of these 
offices are discontinued, the titles are usually dropped; but after 
long, distinguished service, the title may be retained. 

922. Professor.—The title of professor may be possessed by 
courtesy or right. It belongs of right to any one elected by the 
proper authorities to a regular chair or professorship in an educa¬ 
tional institution, organized with full departments and faculty, 
and conferring degrees under legal charter. 

Professor is now applied, however, to a salaried graduate 
actually employed in teaching, or whose duty it is to teach. The 
title is given, by courtesy, to scholars and scientists who have 
become noted as specialists in any department of knowledge, and to 
persons who have distinguished themselves as educators. 

923. Abuse of the title.—It has become quite common for 
dancing masters, horse tamers, barbers, corn doctors, white washers, 
and pretenders of all kinds, to assume the title of professor, with 
the view to appear, in the eyes of the ignortant, of more importance 
than their calling or their attainments warrant. This tendency 
to bring an honorable title into contempt should be discouraged. 



174 


LETTER WRITING 


924. Master.—Master is used in England and some parts of 
this country instead of Principal or Teacher, but the word is now 
very rarely used in the United States. 

925. Doctor of Medicine (M. D.)—This title is used by right 
only by regular graduates of a medical college in good standing, 
and may be obtained by a person of either sex. A lady who is 
entitled to this degree may be addressed as ‘Carrie Smith, M. D.,’ 
or ‘Dr. Carrie Smith.’ 

926. Abuse of this title, also, is no uncommon thing. In 
society, and especially in our larger cities, there are many persons 
who usurp this professional title and inflict upon the public unpro¬ 
fessional practice, for the sake of filling their pockets with money 
obtained by false pretense, from ignorant or trusting patients. Do 
not recognize or patronize such quacks. 

927. Sisters of Charity.—The form to use in addressing a 
Sister of Charity, Sister of Mercy, or a Sister in any similar order, 
is the same as that employed in writing to any unmarried lady, 
except that the title ‘Miss’ is omitted, and a salutation such as, 
‘Dear Sister’ or ‘Respected Sister’ may be used. 

928. Official titles.—These include the titles applicable to 
officers in the Naval, Military, and Civil service of the U. S., and 
of the several states. The officer, on retiring from public service, 
again becomes a private citizen, but it is customary, as a com¬ 
pliment to continue the official title during life, unless superseded 
by one more honorable. 

929. Honorable.—This title is very much misused. It belongs 
by courtesy to the Vice President of the United States, Members of 
Congress, Judges, Foreign Ministers that have no title more dis- 
distinguished, Cabinet Officers, State and Territorial Governors, and 
Lieutenant Governors, Heads of Departments generally, Members 
of States Legislatures, and Mayors. 

930. The abuse of the title Honorable has brought it into 
such disrepute that it has less value than it should have. Because 
a man has been active in politics is no reason for his being called 
Honorable. Only those whose character and services have caused 
their election or appointment to the most important and responsible 
positions of the nation, state, or city should be given the title 
Honorable. The title once acquired is retained through life. 

931. Military and Naval Titles.—Military and Naval, like 
professional titles, are properly retained after long or distinguished 
service. The title really belonging to an officer is that named in his 
commission. 




OUR POSTAL SYSTEM 


175 



The Fast Mail cf the New York Central Ry. 


THINGS TO KNOW 

In Dealing with the United States Post Office Department 

932. Figures of the dead letter office show that five-sixths of the causes 
of mail being miscarried is due to ignorance or carelessness on the part of 
the public. 

933. Always include the state in the direction on your envelope. There 
are about twenty different places by the name of Buffalo among the post 
offices of this country, and about thirty other post offices the names of which 
are compounded from Buffalo, as Buffalo Mills, etc. 

934. The writer of a letter may recall it before delivery to the addressee. 
Application for such return should be made at the postoffice where the letter 
is mailed, and the proper blank filled out, giving a description of the letter, 
etc., when the postmaster will telegraph the postmaster at the office of deliv¬ 
ery, recalling the letter, the writer to pay the cost of telegram. If the letter 
has not yet been mailed, the writer may, upon identifying the letter to the 
satisfaction of the postmaster, withdraw it from the post office. If the stamp 
has been canceled, the letter cannot be remailed unless the postage is again 
prepaid. 

935. It is a violation of the postal laws to send dunning communications 
on postal cards; they should always be mailed under cover of envelopes. A 
simple statement of account may be written upon a postal card, and the De¬ 
partment does not consider the usual legal notice sent out by tax collectors, 
that tax is due, written or printed on postal cards, to be unmailable, nor 
notices from banks that they hold drafts for collection. 

936. Before paying a money order, the paying official, to satisfy himself 
that the person presenting it is the one entitled thereto, compares the order 
with the advice, and if the applicant for payment be unknown to him, he asks 
him his name, also the name and address of the sender, and he may require 
him to prove his identity by calling in a mutual acquaintance. Although 







176 


LETTER WRITING 


money orders are often lost and sometimes stolen, not one in 100,000 is paid 
to other than the lawful owner. Whenever a money order has been lost, a 
duplicate will be issued therefor on receipt of an application. 

937. Any money order which is not presented for payment within one 
year from date is declared invalid and not payable. A duplicate will be is¬ 
sued, however, on receipt of an application. The payee of a money order may 
direct that it be paid to another person, by filling a blank properly, on the 
back of the money order, but it is provided by law that more than one in¬ 
dorsement shall render the money order invalid. 

938. International money orders are issued payable in most of the for¬ 
eign countries. Business with European countries is continually in their 
favor, due, probably, to the fact that many emigrants from those countries 
send a portion of their earnings to relatives at home. The balances thus 
arising are liquidated by bankers’ bills of exchange purchased in New York. 


939. The habit of scanning the address on an envelope after it has 
been directed, would avoid many errors. This would prevent nine-tenths 
of the mistakes due to deficient or erroneous addresses, and would at least 
correct one absurdity; viz., the annual receipt by the dead letter office of 
about 35,000 letters bearing no superscription whatever, and most of them 
written by business men, and containing inclosures of value. 



940. If affectionate relatives and others always gave their full names and 
addresses in letters, there would be 
1,500,000 more letters restored to their 
owners every year. 

941. If a “special delivery” stamp is put on a 
package of second, third, or fourth-class matter 
it is treated as first-class matter; that is, it goes 
into a pouch instead of a sack, and is pushed 
through just as rapidly as a letter bearing the 
same stamp. 

942. Stamped envelopes spoiled by misdirec¬ 
tion or by mistakes, or rendered useless by 
changes in firm names, addresses, etc., may be 
redeemed on presentation at the post office. 

943. Stamps cut or torn from stamped en¬ 
velopes are not redeemable, and are not accepted 
in payment for postage. 

944. The post office department does not re¬ 
deem unused stamps of any kind, and will not 
accept stamps of one denomination for those 
of another. 


Stand from Which Mail is Caught 
WITHOUT SLACKING THE SPEED OF TRAINS. 





OUR POSTAL SYSTEM 


177 


SOME FACTS 

ABOUT OUR POSTAL SYSTEM 



HE business of the post office is the greatest 
business in the world; yet, through proper sub¬ 
division of the work and thorough system, this 
great business is conducted with almost absolute 
accuracy. The following facts may give the 
student a better idea of the business done by 
the United States Post Office Department, and 
its methods: 


945. In 1903 there were 74,169 postmasters in the United States, and 
about 250,000 persons connected with the post office department. 

946. During three years from < 1900 to 1903, 10,549 new post offices 
were opened. Then the rural delivery system was extended from 
larger offices in such a way as to cover the territory of smaller offices, so 
that in six years, from 1903 to 1909, 14,025 of the smaller offices were dis¬ 
continued, leaving the total number for 1910 at 60,144, but 176 of these are 
not in the United States proper. They are situated as follows: Guam 1, 
Samoa 2, Porto Rico 81, Hawaii 92. There are 16 post offices in the Canal 
Zone, and 539 in the Philippine Islands, but they are under the jurisdiction 
of the War Department. 

947. More than $25,000,000.00 is annually paid to railroad companies 
alone for carrying mail, and more than $40,000,000.00 to all classes of con¬ 
tractors for transportation of mail. 

948 More than 7,500 railway postal clerks are employed, and they trav¬ 
erse about 175,000 miles of railroad. During a recent year the number of 
pieces of mail handled by these railway clerks was 9,245,994,775, and the 
number of errors 1,691,389, or one error in every 5,466 pieces handled. 

949. The number of errors made by the public annually as shown by the 
records, exceeds those made in the railway post offices by more than 
5 000 000. 

950. ' The letter-car of the mail trains is provided with a “mail catcher/’ 
which is placed at a small door through which, the mail pouches are snatched 
from posts conveniently placed at wayside stations where stops are not made. 
On the preceding page is an illustration of the stand from which the mail 
bag is taken. 

951. The main lines of railroads are separated into divisions, and each 
postal clerk has his regular “run” over a division of the road. From New 
York to Chicago there are three divisions, the “runs” being from New \ork 
to Syracuse, Syracuse to Cleveland, Cleveland to Chicago. Each crew makes 
three round trips, and is then laid off for six days, but its members are 
subject to extra duty during that time. 

952. The average number of letters handled by the clerks on each trip 
of an ocean steamer is more than 60,000, besides from 100 to 200 sacks of 
printed and general matter. The American clerks make but one error in 
about 4,000 distributions, and their work compares favorably with that of the 
railway postal clerks. 





178 


LETTER WRITING 



WHITE STAR LINER, OLYMPIC 
LARGEST STEAMER IN THE WORLD—860 FEET LONG, 45,000 TONS 

953. There are about 2,000 employes in the New York post office with 
salaries aggregating $1,600,000.00 annually, a force nearly three times as large 
as that employed in the post office department at Washington. 

954. Stamp canceling machines are now used in the large cities. One of 
these machines canceled, postmarked, counted, and stacked 5,000 postal 
cards in four minutes and fifty seconds, and has performed similar work 
on 24,000 postal cards in an hour. In two hours and two minutes it can¬ 
celed, postmarked, counted, and stacked 21,000 letters and 25,480 postal 
cards. An average speed of 30,000 letters and postal cards an hour is 
claimed for it. The hour when a letter is mailed is registered when the 
stamp is canceled, the time being changed in the machine every thirty 
minutes. An electrical stamp canceller, it is claimed, will cancel 40,000 
letters an hour; and the machine not only notes the year, month, and day, 
but the hour and minute when the letter passes through. 

955. In New York there are about 20,000,000 letters delivered by 
carriers every year, not to mention printed matter and packages. 

956. There are more than 1,300 “free delivery” offices in the country, 
where mail is delivered by carriers. Carriers in these cities deliver and 
collect mail from more than 50,000,000 people. The annual expense, for the 
service of carriers is about $25,000,000.00. For “rural delivery,” see Par. 988. 

957. In the course of a year the more than 25,000 letter carriers of 
the country deliver about 12,500,000 registered letters, 2,500,000,000 ordi¬ 
nary letters, 2,000,000,000 postal cards, and 1,200,000,000 newspapers. 

958. In the “opening” division of the dead letter office there are only 
20 clerks, but they receive, assort, count, open, and dispose of an average 
of 18,000 letters and parcels every day. 

959. The safety of the mails is something wonderful. About 1,350,000 
pieces of registered mail matter valued at nearly $1,350,000,000.00 are re¬ 
ceived in the mails annually for the post office and treasury departments 
















OUR POSTAL SYSTEM 


179 


2n°mnnm 1S - n0t p ? ssibl ? to | tate accurately the value of the remaining 
$24$&<»? eS reg,Stered matter ’ bUt a Cl0Se estimate giv ” it "! 

960. Postage stamps are made by bank note companies the contract 
being awarded to the lowest bidder. The processes by which oostage 
stamps are manufactured are secret, and much of the patented machinery 
is in use for their manufacture alone. The process of printing stamps is 
similar to that employed in printing money. The design for one stamp 
is engraved upon a small, flat, soft steel die, which is then hardened and 

design 5 !? tbcTnlf * t0 V OH ° f S ° ft Sted? Which is in turn harde ned. The 

design on the roll is of course, a negative of the original die, and when 

retransferred to another flat die gives a positive like the original By 
repeated transfers from the small roll to a large, flat, steel plate, hundreds 
of designs each exactly like the original die, are engraved in rows, thus 
producing the plate from which the stanjps are printed. Stamps are 

printed in sheets of 200 each, and these sheets are torn in two, there 
being 100 stamps in each sheet furnished to postmasters. Stamps are 

gummed by a roller which is passed over the sheets by machinery, apply- 
mg the gum evenly over the entire surface. After the process of gum¬ 
ming is completed, the sheets are placed upon racks and dried by means 
of a series of steam pipes. If a single stamp is in any way mutilated, the 
entire sheet of 200 is burned ; and 500,000 are said to be burned every 
week from this cause. The stamps are perforated by running fifty of the 
sheets through the machine at one time, when the hundreds of punches, 
arranged for that purpose, pierce the sheets at the proper place between 
the stamps. 

961. Stamped envelopes are manufactured for the Government, in an 
envelope factory in Dayton, Ohio. Stamped paper wrappers are also 
made in Dayton under the same contract. The United States consumes 
more stamped envelopes than any other nation in the world; more than 
1,500,000,000 are used in an average year. 

962. Postal cards are manufactured in the Government Printing Office, 
Washington, D. C. A contract is let once in four years for making the 
cards, and it is estimated that 4,000,000,000 cards will be needed during this 
time. They are made at a cost of about $1,100,000.00. 


963. Stamps, postal cards, and other supplies are usually ordered by 
postmasters from the Department at Washington every three months. Some 
of the large offices order every month. The New York office orders a little 
more than $300,000 worth of stamps and more than 4,000,000 postal cards 
(a car load) every month. The bond of the postmaster at New York is 
$600,000.00. Stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes are sent out to 
postmasters by registered mail, except that postal cards for Boston, New 
York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and all sub-agencies are shipped by frieght. 

964. Every person to whom the custody of a registered article is en¬ 
trusted must make a record of it, give a receipt for it when it is received, 
and take a receipt when he parts with it. This takes considerable time, 
and it would be almost impossible for postal clerks to make a proper record 
and write the receipt if they were required to handle each registered piece 
separately. To overcome this difficulty, a registered pouch is in use, which 
contains the registered mail between given points, and the clerk treats the 
pouch of mail as he would a single piece, recording it and receipting for it 
by number. These pouches are locked with rotary or tell-tale locks that 






180 


LETTER WRITING 


indicate when they are opened. Postal clerks are not permitted to have 
keys to open the rotary locks; they are furnished only to postmasters who 
exchange registered pouches. 



Mail Carrier of 100 Years Ago 

SOME “DONT’S” 

965. Don’t mail a letter until you are sure it is completely and properly 
directed. 

966. Don’t locate the address so there will be no room for the post¬ 
mark. 

967. Don’t write the name of your own state for the name of the state 
intended; a very common error. 

968. Don’t write the abbreviation for the state so that it may be mis¬ 
taken for one similar in appearance. 

969. Don’t mail a letter until you are sure it is properly stamped. 

970. Don’t put the stamp anywhere on the envelope except in the right 
upper corner. 

971. Don’t forget that it is unlawful to enclose matter of a higher class 
in one which is lower, as merchandise in newspapers, and letters with photo¬ 
graphs. 

972. Don’t mail business letters until your name and address has been 
placed in the left upper corner of the envelope, so that in case of non-de¬ 
livery the letter will be returned to you. 

973. Don’t, when you fail to receive an expected letter, charge the postal 
service with its loss, or your correspondent with dishonesty, until you have 
written your correspondent with all the facts in regard to the matter. 

974. Don’t mail a parcel without previously weighing it, or having it 
weighed at the post office, to ascertain the proper amount of postage. 

975. Don’t wrap a parcel in such manner that the wrapper may become 
separated from the contents. 

976. Don’t mail parcels to foreign countries without understanding the 
regulations governing matter directed to such countries. 

977. Don’t fail to put your name and address in the left upper corner 
of every package before mailing it, 










OUR POSTAL SYSTEM 


181 


General Postal Information 

978. Domestic Postage includes Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Re¬ 
public of Panama, Hawaii, Porto Rico, Shanghai, Philipines, the 
islands of Guam and Tutuila^ and the “Canal Zone/’ as well as 
Alaska and all post offices in the United States. 

979. First Class Matter.—Postage two cents for each ounce 
or fraction thereof. Embraces all matter wholly or partly written, 
or which is so done up as to prevent examination without destroy¬ 
ing the wrapper, and must be prepaid at least one rate, two cents. 
Drawings, written cards, plans and designs are first class. 

980. Second Class.—Pertains to publishers and news dealers, 
and embraces newspapers and periodicals, which may be mailed by 
others than publishers, at the rate of one cent for each four ounces 
or fraction thereof, when they are enclosed in one wrapper, with 
the postage fully prepaid by stamps affixed. There is no limit to 
the weight of the package. 

981. Third class.—Postage one cent for each two ounces or 
fraction thereof. Embraces books (printed) ; and all printed matter 
in unsealed wrappers. The limit in weight is four pounds, except 
in the case of a single book, the weight of which is unlimited. The 
postage must be fully prepaid. Photographs are now third class. 

982. Fourth class.—Embraces all mailable matter not speci¬ 
fied above; as, labels, patterns, playing cards, visiting cards, ad¬ 
dress tags, wrapping paper, blotting pads, bill heads, letter heads, 
envelopes with printed address thereon, and all other matter of 
the same general character. Merchandise and samples are fourth 
class. It must be so wrapped as to admit of examination and it 
must be fully prepaid. Postage one cent for each ounce or fraction 
thereof. 

983. Postal Cards.—Single postal cards, one cent. Double 
postal cards, two cents. Postal cards are unmailable when anything 
is pasted on them or attached thereto. Nothing but the address 
should be written on the address side, except in the case of some 
picture cards, where a space on the address side is set apart for 
the message. Double postal cards are practically the same as two 
cards, one of which is left blank to be torn off and used for answer¬ 
ing the other. 

984. Forwarding.—Sealed letters are forwarded without the 
payment of additional postage, when the address is changed, but 




182 


LETTER WRITING 


Third and Fourth class matter is not forwarded until the regular 
postage is again paid. 

985. Unmailable.—Liquids (except when packed as provided 
by regulation), poisons, explosive or inflammable articles, or any 
article which is liable to injure the mails or persons handling the 
same. Sharp pointed instruments, except when properly done up, 
are unmailable, also any matter not addressed to a post office. 

986. Drop letters.—The rate on letters to be delivered at the 
same office as mailed, is one cent, if it be not a free delivery office. 
At offices where the mail is delivered by carriers, the rate is two 
cents. 

987. Special delivery stamps.—A “special delivery stamp” 
placed on the letter or package, in addition to the regular postage, 
will insure its immediate delivery,—if received at a free delivery 
office between 7 A. M. and 11 P. M., and if received at any other 
office between 7 A. M. and 7 P. M., within the carrier limits of a 
free delivery office, and within one mile of any other office,—at any 
post office in the United States. Special delivery stamps cost ten 
cents, and can be used only for the special purpose for which they 
were designed, but regular postage stamps of the same value may be 
used if the envelope is marked “Special Delivery.” 

988. Free Delivery.—The free delivery of mail matter is 
required by law in every city of 50,000 or more population, and may 
be established at any place of not less than 5,000 inhabitants. Rural 
Delivery is a form of Free Delivery which extends several miles 
into the country, from thousands of post offices around which the 
rural districts are thickly settled. See Paragraphs 946, 956, and 
1008. 

989. Post Cards.—Cards of about the same thickness as postal 
cards, and cut not larger than 3 9/16 by 5 9/16 inches, nor smaller 
than 2 by 4 inches, may be mailed for 1 cent each. They may be 
of any color. 

The words “Post Card” may or may not, at the option of the 
sender, be printed on the face; but the words “United States” or 
“United States of America,” in similitude of United States postal 
cards, will render the card unmailable at any rate of postage. 

The face of the card may be divided by a vertical line; the left 
half to be used for a message, the right half for the address only. 

Advertisements, illustrations, etc., may appear on the back or 
on the left half of the face. Very thin sheets of paper may be 
attached if well pasted down at the edges; and such sheets may 
contain both writing and printing. (See 983.) 




OUR POSTAL SYSTEM 183 


Pieces of leather, wood, or bark may be used under the same 
i estrictions, and mailed, unsealed, at fourth-class rate. 

990. Confectioneries are unmailable except when done up in 
a tin box, which box must again be placed in a pasteboard box. 
bruits, except dried, are unmailable. Any matter exhaling bad 
odors is unmailable. 

991. To Canada and Mexico. —The rates of postage are the 
same as in the United States, except that sealed packages other than 
letters in their ordinary shape and form are absolutely excluded. 
The rates to other foreign countries vary, and may be ascertained 
by reference to the Postal Guide, a copy of which may be obtained 
of any postmaster. 

992. Registered Letters. —Letters and packages may be reg¬ 
istered to all offices of the United States, and to most foreign 
countries. The registry fee is ten cents in addition to the regular 
postage. 

993. Money Orders on all principal offices of the United 
States may be purchased, payable “to order,” at the following rates: 


Orders for sums not exceeding $ 2.50. 3 cents. 

Over $ 2.50 and not exceeding $ 5.00. 5 cents. 

Over $ 5.00 and not exceeding $ 10.00. 8 cents. 

Over $10.00 and not exceeding $ 20.00.10 cents. 

Over $20.00 and not exceeding $ 30.00.12 cents. 

Over $30.00 and not exceeding $ 40.00.15 cents. 

Over $40.00 and not exceeding $ 50.00.18 cents. 

Over $50.00 and not exceeding $ 60.00.20 cents. 

Over $60.00 and not exceeding $ 75.00.25 cents. 

Over $75.00 and not exceeding $100.00.30 cents. 


994. The above rates also apply to Money orders payable in Canada, 
Cuba, New Foundland, and the Philippines, and the application is made on 
the same Domestic Order Blank that is used within the United States. 

995. The remitter who desires to relieve the payee or his indorsee or 
attorney from the inconvenience of proving identity at the office of payment, 
by the testimony of another person, may do so, at his own risk, by signing 
the required form. 

996. The maximum amount for which a single money order may be 
issued at an office designated as a “Money Order Office” is $100, and at an 
office designated as a “Limited Money Order Office,” $5. When a larger 
sum is to be sent, additional orders must be obtained. But postmasters are 
instructed to refuse to issue in one day to the same remitter, and in favor 
of the same payee, on any one post office of the fourth class, money orders 
















184 


LETTER WRITING 


amounting in the aggregate to more than $300, as such office might not have 
funds sufficient for immediate payment of any large amount Fractions of a 
cent are not to be introduced. 

997. As money orders are made “to order” the receiver must be identi¬ 
fied before he can collect them. This, therefore, is a very safe way of re¬ 
mitting money. 

998. International Money Orders.—Forty-eight foreign 
countries are now exchanging money orders with the United States 
direct, and some others are reached by indirect exchange. Six of 
these forty-eight countries have agreed with our government on a 
lower rate than the others. They are Mexico, Bolivia, Costa Rico, 
Peru, Liberia, and Transvaal. 

999. Orders payable in these countries are issued on the 
International Forms, but at the following 

INTERMEDIARY RATES 


Orders not exceeding— 

$10 . 5 cents. 

Over $10 to $20.10 cents. 

Over $20 to $30.15 cents. 

Over $30 to $40.20 cents. 

Over $40 to $50.25 cents. 


Over $50 to $ 60.30 cents. 

Over $60 to $ 70.35 cents. 

Over $70 to $ 80.40 cents. 

Over $80 to $ 90.45 cents. 

Over $90 to $100.50 cents. 


1000. Money orders on all other foreign countries are issued 
at the following 


INTERNATIONAL RATES 
Orders not exceeding— 


$10 .10 cents. 

Over $10 to $20.20 cents. 

Over $20 to $30.30 cents. 

Over $30 to $40.40 cents. 

Over $40 to $50.50 cents. 


Over $50 to $ 60.60 cents. 

Over $60 to $ 70. 70 cents 

Over $70 Itp $ 80.80 cents 

Over $80 to $ 90.90 cents. 

Over $90 to $100.1 dollar. 


THE POSTAL UNION 

1001. To the United States belongs the credit for the forma¬ 
tion of the Universal Postal Union. The treaty was signed at Berne, 
Switzerland, October 9, 1874, but several meetings of the postal 
congress of all nations were held, the first in Paris in 1863. The 
idea of forming such a Union was suggested by the United States 
in 1862. The aim of the Union is to establish uniform rates of 
postage and exchange over all the world. After the organization 
was completed at Berne, successive meetings of the Union were 























OUR POSTAL SYSTEM 


185 


held: in Paris, 1878; Lisbon, 1885; Vienna, 1891; Washington, 
1898; the object being to extend the territory so as to make the 
jurisdiction of the Postal Union as nearly universal as possible. 
The Union now embraces all of North America, all of South 
America, all of Europe, all of Asia except the Chinese Empire and 
Arabia, all of Africa except Morocco and the Congo State, all of 
Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, etc., leaving only a few small 
islands in the Southern Pacific which are not yet in the Universal 
Union. 

1002. The International postage rates, as now fixed by the 
Union, are as follows: 

Letters, if prepaid . 5 cents per half ounce. 

If not prepaid .10 cents per half ounce. 

to be collected on delivery. 

Postal Cards .2 cents each. 

Printed matter, commercial papers, and merchandise sam¬ 
ples, if prepaid. 1 cent for each two ounces. 

If not prepaid.2 cents for each two ounces. 

1003. The application blanks for both domestic and foreign 
money orders contain the most explicit directions as to how to 
fill them out properly. No other instruction is needed than will 
be found on the blanks themselves. 

1004. Growth and Development.—The Post Office Depart¬ 
ment has more than kept pace with the increase in population. 
In 1790 the population of the United States was 4,000,000, and the 
number of post offices 75. In 1910 the population was nearly 
90,000,000, and the number of post offices 80,000. Thus, while 
the population increased some twenty-fold, the number of post offices 
increased more than a thousand-fold. 

1005. Increase in Revenues.—The total revenues for 1790 
were $38,200, and in 1910 $118,000,000, or more than three 
thousand-fold. 

1006. The Money Order system was not established until 
1864, but it has grown so popular with the people that more than 
$300,0^0,000 are now transferred annually, and most of it in small 
amounts. 

1007. It is only two hundred years since the mail between 
Boston and New York was carried monthly, but an extension of 
this route was made in 1717 by which mail was carried from Boston 
to Williamsburg, Va., in four weeks. Mail coaches were established 
on this route between Boston and Philadelphia, by Benjamin Frank¬ 
lin, in 1760. 










186 


LETTER WRITING 


1008. It is only one hundred years since a general post office 
was established in Washington. The first letter carrier was em¬ 
ployed in Washington in 1832. One man served the entire city and 
received 2 cents for each letter delivered. The railroads did not 
carry mail until 1834. Envelopes first appeared in 1839. Postage 
stamps were not in use until 1847. No merchandise was carried by 
mail until 1861, and no postal cards were used until 1873. Special 
delivery was established in 1885, and the rural free delivery, now 
so common, began in 1896. Indemnity for loss of registered mail, 
not to exceed $25.00, was established in 1902. 

1009. Other Countries.—With all this development the postal 
service in the United States is inferior to that of most European 
countries. By the parcels post recently established most of those 
countries carry packages at 12 cents per pound, limiting the 
weight to eleven pounds. Germany has raised the weight limit ten¬ 
fold and reduced the postage also, charging only 30 cents for 110 
pounds. The United States will doubtless establish the parcels 
post in the near future. 

1010. With all this difference of postage rates the principal 
European countries make about twenty million dollars annual profit 
each, while the United States loses about five million dollars an¬ 
nually, because the government does not own, or at least control, 
the railroads. 


TO STENOGRAPHERS 

1011. The use of shorthand and typewriting has become so 
general, that it is quite proper to give some special hints to 
stenographers. Nearly all that has been said under other headings 
applies equally to type-written letters, and in addition we offer the 
following suggestions: 

1012. Dictation.—A stenographer should pay strict attention 
to details, be systematic, and especially careful. Notebooks should 

be numbered in consecutive order, and dated From.To., 

and the date should be written at the beginning of each day’s dicta¬ 
tion. The letters should be numbered consecutively, beginning each 
day with 1. They should be delivered in the order of their num¬ 
bers. The notes for each letter should be checked when written, 
or a line drawn through them to show that they have been tran¬ 
scribed. Proper names should be written in longhand unless they 





TO STENOGRAPHERS 


187 


are very common. A stenographer should be in a position to hear 
distinctly, and if he fails to get any word or phrase it is better to 
ask the dictator for it at once than to make a failure in transcribing 
the notes. If you are not sure of the name, street, number, post 
office, or state, ask at once. You are not employed as a mere 
machine, but are supposed to have brains and common sense. 

1013. Transcribing.—It is a good plan, especially for the in¬ 
experienced, to read the notes for each letter before transcribing. 
See that the letter makes sense, and that you do not insert, for the 
word dictated, a word of similar sound. Avoid errors and erasures. 
Read the notes far enough ahead of where you are writing to know 
just what you are to write, and form the habit of making your 
transcript absolutely correct at first. Erasures are made necessary 
chiefly through carelessness. 

1014. Erasures may be almost entirely avoided if one forms 
the habit of being careful and painstaking in his work, observing 
what has been said in regard to reading the notes first. Correc¬ 
tions always look bad in a letter, and it takes time to re-write. The 
best way is not to make errors. 

1015. Spelling, Punctuation, Capitalization, Language.— 
Probably more shorthand students fail from ignorance of these sub¬ 
jects than from lack of skill in typewriting and shorthand. No 
one can expect to succeed in this line of work and hold a position 
of any importance, unless he is qualified to spell, punctuate, and 
capitalize correctly, and write the English language with a reason¬ 
able degree of accuracy. A knowledge of these subjects should be 
acquired in the public schools; but, if they have been neglected, 
or if for any reason the student is deficient in them, he should lose 
no time in thoroughly qualifying himself. 

1016. Do not, until you have consulted your dictionary, write 
any word about the spelling of which you have the least doubt. Bad 
spelling is really more to be avoided than any other error. Many 
who are otherwise proficient fail in securing positions on account 
of their incorrect spelling. 

1017. The rules for capitalizing and punctuating, given else¬ 
where, should be carefully observed. The period is the only point 
of separation used by stenographers in taking notes; the commas, 
colons, semicolons, etc., being inserted in the transcript as the con¬ 
text suggests. 





188 


LETTER WRITING 


1018. Division of words at the end of a line.—A word should 

never be divided except between syllables, and if you are in the 
least doubt as to where to make this division, look in a dictionary 
before writing the word. When a single letter forms a syllable of a 
word, it should never be written alone at the end of a line or at the 
beginning of a line. Always notice before reaching the end of a 
line how to make the correct division of words. 

1019. Duplicate Letters.—It is often necessary to write many 
letters in duplicate, and there are numerous processes employed for 
this purpose. Perhaps the best inventions for reproducing letters in 
fac-simile are the mimeograph and the multigraph. If not more 
than half a dozen or a dozen copies are required they may be made 
with carbon paper. In making carbon copies, always keep the 
sheets made with one impression together, so that it will be neces¬ 
sary to read only one of them by copy. 

1020. The typewriter.—A thorough acquaintance with the 
machine and the manipulation of it is of first importance. To do 
good work, good tools must be used, and these tools must be kept 
in first-class condition. All good mechanics observe this rule, and 
the use of the typewriter is no exception. The machine must be 
kept clean, and all wearing parts—guide rails in particular—should 
be well lubricated with the best typewriter oil, and then wiped per¬ 
fectly clean. You should attend to this daily. An even touch must 
be cultivated to produce good work, and all jerky movements 
avoided, as they are detrimental to speed, and cause many mistakes 
to be made. 

1021. Spacing.—Spacing must be uniform to produce a good 
effect, otherwise the work will present an uneven appearance. A 
space should be made after all punctuation marks, except where 
they separate figures; as, $9,000,837.00; and three spaces should be 
made after every sentence. In taking hurried copies, the appear¬ 
ance of the work is not so important as getting it out in the short¬ 
est time possible, and spacing is omitted after punctuation marks. 

1022. Form.—Special attention must be paid to paragraphing, 
so that the work may present a well balanced appearance. Each 
change of subject matter should begin with a new paragraph. The 
arrangement of the introduction and close of a letter must be well 
fixed in mind with regard to the points of the scale at which each 
part commences. It is well to have a fixed rule for the beginning 
of each. The numbers in the following form indicate the figures 
on the typewriter scale where it is usually best to begin each part: 


























. 

















TO STENOGRAPHERS 


189 


JO 

Cleveland Heights, Ohio., July 24, 1912. 

Mr. John Adams, 

to 

St. Clairsvllle, 0. 

1 

Dear Sir; 

10 

I have your favor of the 27th ultimo, enclosing circular and 
revised price list, and In answer, etc., 

30 

Very truly yours, 


60 

Supt. 

1023. Confidential Clerk.—No private secretary is more of a 
confidential clerk than the stenographer. All the shorthand and 
typewriting business of his employer should be regarded as strictly 
confidential. The amanuensis should not communicate, even to his 
best friends, information regarding his employer’s business. 

1024. Have an interest in your employer’s business and in his 
property. Make his interests your own. Be as economical in the 
use of stationery and other materials as if you had to pay for them. 
Be faithful in little things as well as in more important matters and 
it will as surely be noticed as it will if you are not. You can do 
many small acts to show you are interested in your work, which will 
make your services, if not of more value to your present employer, 
recognized by others. It pays to do one’s best at all times. 

1025. Common sense is a good thing to have and use in any 
calling, and may be made of special value in doing shorthand and 
typewriting work. When an amanuensis writes from his notes “We 
will expect you hear on the 14th inst.,” etc., an application of com¬ 
mon sense would have suggested h-e-r-e. Do not be a mere ma¬ 
chine. First think , then act. Before handing in work for approval, 
carefully read it, looking for errors in spelling, punctuation, capi¬ 
talization, and such mistakes in the words as are referred to above. 
Model type-written letters are given on pages 11, 22, 39, 99, 103, 
106, 117, and 133. 






190 


LETTER WRITING 


CLASSIFICATION OF TITLES 

AND THEIR 

ABBREVIATIONS 

Scholastic Degrees are always abbreviated. In addressing an officer of 
high rank, abbreviations are not allowable; as, President, Governor. Many 
abbreviations of titles may be used in catalogues, on the title-pages of books, 
and other places, that are not allowable in addressing letters. In the address, 
no degree is used lower than Master or Doctor. We may write “James 
Brown, M. D. or A. M.,” but not “James Brown, A. B. or B. S.” A person 
that has no title higher than a bachelor’s degree, should be addressed simply 
Mr. or Esq. 


TITLES OF RESPECT AND COURTESY 


Mister . Mr. 

Messieurs (Fr. pi. of Mr.) ..Messrs. 

Gentlemen .. 

Sir, Sirs. # .. 

Esquire, Esquires . Esq., Esqs. 

Master (a boy) .,..- 


Mistress (pronounced Missis) . .Mrs. 


Mesdames (Fr. pi.). Mmes. 

Madam . Mad. 

Madame (Fr.) . Mme. 

Ladies .. 

Miss, Misses... 


SCHOLASTIC TITLES 

All of the following degrees and many others are authorized, but these 
are the more common ones: B. C. L., D. C. L., and a few others are con¬ 
ferred only by foreign universities. Harvard College confers only the 
following degrees: Regular— A. B., A. M., Ph. D., B. D., LL. B., S. B., S. D., 
C. E., M. D., D. M. D.,; Honorary —LL. D., D. D. Yale confers nearly the 
same, with the addition of Ph. B., D. E., and Mus. D 


The Latin terms are given only when they 

DIVINITY 

Bachelor of Divinity. B. D. 

Doctor of Divinity.D. D. 

Doctor of Divinity, Sanctae Theolo- 
giae Doctus . S. T. D. 

Doctor of Divinity, Doctus Theolo¬ 
gize . D. T. 

Professor of Divinity, Sanctae Theo- 
logiae Professor . S. T. P. 

LAW 

Bachelor of Laws. LL. B. 

Master of Laws. M. L. 


are necessary to explain the abbreviation. 

Doctor of Laws, Legum Doctus.. 

.LL. D. 

Dr. of Laws, Jurum Doctus. ... J. D. 
Doctor of Civil Law, Juris Civilis 

Doctus . J. C. D. 

Bachelor of Civil Law. B. C. L. 

Doctor of Civil Law . D. C. L. 

Dr. of both Laws, Canon and Civil, 

Juris utriusque Doctus _ J. U. D. 

MEDICINE 

Doctor . Dr. 

Bachelor of Medicine. M. B, 

Doctor of Medicine. M. D. 






















LIST OF TITLES 


191 


Master of Surgery, Chimrgiae Ma- 


gister .C. M. 

Graduate in Pharmacy. Phar. G. 

Master in Pharmacy. Phar. M. 

Doctor in Pharmacy. Phar. D. 


Doctor of Dental Surgery.. .D. D. S. 
Doctor of Dental Medicine. D. M. D. 
PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE 

Bachelor of Philosophy.Ph. B. 

Doctor of Philosophy. Ph. D. 

Bachelor of Science.B. S. 

Master of Science. M. S. 

Doctor of Science.S. D. 

ARTS AND LETTERS 

Bachelor of Arts_ B. A. or A. B. 

Master of Arts. M. A. or A. M. 

Bachelor of Letters, Baccalaureus 

Liter arum . B. Lit. 

Doctor of Letters, Literarum Doctus 

.Lit. D. 

Doctor of Polite Literature, Liter- 

arum Humaniorum Doctus . 

.L. H. D. 

Poet Laureate (Eng.). P. L. 

MUSIC 

Bachelor of Music .M. B. or B. Mus. 
Doctor of Music.. D. M. or Mus. D. 
DIDACTICS 

Bachelor of the Elements. B. E. 


Master of the Elements.M. E. 

Bachelor of Science. B. S. 

Master of Science.M. S. 


Bachelor of Commercial Science.... 

.B. C. S. 

Bachelor of the Classics. B. C. 

Master of the Classics. M. C. 

TITLES OF SER 

THE CLERICAL SERVICE 

A Bishop (Epis., Cath., et al .):— 


Right Reverend. Rt. Rev. 

A Bishop (Methodist):—Reverend 

. Rev. 

A Rector, Minister, Priest, Rabbi, or 
Reader . Rev. 


TECHNICS 

Civil Engineer. C. E. 

Topographic Engineer. T. E. 

Dynamic Engineer. D. E. 

Military or Mechanical Engineer .. 

.M. E. 

The degrees of Bachelor and Master in 
each of the departments of engineering, 
and in chemistry and architecture are au¬ 
thorized, but rarely conferred. 

FELLOWSHIPS, ETC. 

American . 

Fellow of the Am. Academy, Acade- 
miae Americanae Socius A. A. S. 
Member of the Am. Antiquarian So¬ 
ciety, Americanae Antiquarianac 

Societatis Socius . A. A. S. S. 

Member of the Am. Oriental Society, 
Americanae Orientalis Societatis 

Socius . A. O. S. S. 

Member of Am. Phil. Society, So¬ 
cietatis Philosophicae Americanae 

Socius . S. P. A. S. 

Fellow of the Mass. Medical Society, 
Massachusettensis Medicinae Socie¬ 
tatis Socius . M. M. S. S. 

Fellow of the Historical Society, So¬ 
cietatis Historiae Socius. . .S. H. S. 
Fellow of Connecticut Academy, 
Conn. Academiae Socius C. A. S. 

These are the only American societies 
that confer memberships or fellowship* 
that are recognized as titles. 

CE EX-OFFICIO 

THE CIVIL SERVICE 

National Government. 

The Chief Executive :— 

1. Civil: The President_ Pres. 

2. Military: Commander-in-Chief 

of the Army and Navy.. 



























192 


LETTER WRITING 


The Vice-President, Ex-Officio Presi¬ 
dent of the Senate:— 


Honorable . Hon. 

Chief Justice of the Supreme 

Court:— 

The Chief Justice. C. J. 

His Honor .. 

Associate Justices:— 

Justice . Jus. 

His Honor .. 

Foreign Ministers:— 

His Excellency. H. Exc. 

Honorable . Hon. 

Members of the Cabinet and Mem¬ 
bers of Congress. Hon. 


Heads of Bureaus, Asst. Secretaries, 
Comptrollers, and Auditors of the 
Treasury, Clerks of the Senate and 


House of Representatives. Esq. 

By courtesy . Hon. 


All other U. S. Officers. .Esq. or Mr. 

STATE GOVERNMENTS 

The Governor. Gov. 

Civil: His Excellency... .H. Exc. 

Military: Commander-in-Chief- 

Sen. Judge of Supreme Court:— 

Chief Justice. C. J. 

His Honor . . 


Associate Justices:— 

Justice . Jus. 

Judge .. 

His Honor .. 

Lieutenant Governor, Heads of De¬ 
partments, State Senators^, Law 


Judges. Hon. 

Mayors of Cities:— 

Honorable . Hon. 

His Honor .. 

Members of the House of Represent- 

atives§ . Esq. 

By Courtesy Hon. 

Aldermen, Magistrates, and all offi¬ 
cers not specified. Esq. 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 
Officers of Universities and Col¬ 
leges :— 

Chancellor . Chanc. 

Vice-Chancellor . V. Chanc. 

President . Pres. 

Vice-President . V. Pres. 

Provost . Prov. 

Registrar . Reg. 

Dean .. 

Rector . Rect. 

Librarian . Lib. 

Faculty and Instructors:— 

Professor . Prof. 

Lecturer .. 

Tutor .. 


«DnliJJ^n rC m l S m L?i ff TJl Ce *° f °P inion as t0 whether the title of “Honorable” should be 
DenartmlJ u- { thC tW ° houses of the Legislature. It is the custom of the State 
Department at Washington to apply the title of “Esquire” to members of both. 

The customs of the states vary. Perhaps the greater weight' of opinion is in favor 
ot the application of Honorable” to members of the State Senate, and “Esquire” to 
those of the House of Representatives. In some states, the title “Honorable” is applied 
to the Speaker of the lower house, but not the other members. 


THE MILITARY AND NAVAL SERVICE 

The command pertaining to the rank of general and line officers is printed 
under the title in finer print. Commands, however, are subject to change by 
assignment, and the laws governing the army organization have left it in an 
anomalous state, and the rank of commands in an unsettled condition. The 





































LIST OF TITLES 


193 


titles of the general and line officers, placed opposite in the two columns, 
indicate relative rank in the two departments of service. 


Military Service (U. S. A.) 
GENERAL AND LINE OFFICERS 


General . Gen. 

The armies of the U. S. 

Lieutenant General.Lt. Gen. 

An Army Corps, and Territorial Division. 

Major General .Maj. Gen. 

A Division, and Territorial Division. 

Brigadier General.Brig. Gen. 

A Brigadier, and Territorial Department. 

Colonel . Col. 

A Regiment. 

Lieutenant Colonel.Lt. Col. 

A Battalion, second in command, Regiment. 

Major . Maj. 

A Battalioi., third in command, Regiment. 

Captain .Capt. 

A Company. 

First Lieutenant.1st Lieut, 

A Platoon, second in command, Company. 

Second Lieutenant.2d Lieut. 

A Platoon, third in command, Company. 

Cadet .. 

Student at West Point Military Academy. 

STAFF OFFICERS 
Adjutant General .Adj. Gen. 

Rank of Brigadier General. 

Assistant Adj. Gen.A. A. G. 

Rank of Colonel to Major. 

Inspector General.Insp. Gen. 

Rank of Colonel. 

Assistant Insp. Gen.A. I. G. 

Rank of Colonel. 

Quartermaster General.Q. M. G. 

Rank of Brigadier General. 

Asst. Q. M. Gen.A. Q. M. G. 

Rank of Colonel. 


Naval Service (U S. N.) 


LINE OFFICERS 

Admiral. 


The fleets of the U. S. 

Vice-Admiral. 

.V. Adml. 

A Fleet 

or Fleets. 

Rear Admiral ... 

.R. Adml. 

A Fleet or Squadron. 

Commodore . 

.Commo. 

Squadron, Ships of first class. 

Captain . 


Vessels of 

second class. 

Commander .... 

. Com. 

Vessels of 

third class. 

Lieutenant Com. . 

. Lt. Com. 

Vessels of 

fourth class. 

Lieutenant . 


Executive Officer of fourth class. 

Master . 

. Mas. 

Assistant 

Navigator. 

Ensign . 


Midshipman .... 

. Mid. 

Student of Annapolis Academy. 

STAFF OFFICERS 

Surgeon General. 

. Surg. Gen. 

Rank of 

Commodore. 

Medical Director. 

.Med. Dir. 

Rank of Captain. 

Medical Inspectoi 

r. Med. Insp. 

Rank of 

Commander. 

Surgeon . 



Rank of Lieutenant Commander. 


Past Asst. Surg. P. A. Surg. 

Rank of Lieutenant. 

Assistant Surgeon. Asst. Surg. 

Rank of Master to Ensign. 



































194 


LETTER WRITING 


Deputy Q. M. G.Dep. Q. M. G. 

Rank of Lt. Colonel. 

Quartermaster .Q. M. 

Rank of Major. 

Asst. Quartermaster.A Q. M. 

Rank of Captain. 

Commissary Gen. of Subsistence_ 

.C. G. S. 

Rank of Brig. Gen. 

Asst. C. G. S.A. C. G. S. 

Rank of Colonel to Lt. Colonel. 

Commissary of Subsistence...C. S. 
Rank of Major to Captain. 

Surgeon General.. .Surg. Gen. 

Rank of Brigadier General. 

Chief Medical Purveyor. 

.Chf. Med. Pur. 

Rank of Colonel. 

Surgeon .Surg. 

Rank of Major. 

Asst. Surgeon.Asst. Surg. 

Rank of Captain to 1st Lieutenant. 

Paymaster Gen.P. M. G. 

Rank of Colonel. 

Assistant P. M. G_Asst. P. M. G. 

Rank of Colonel. 

Paymaster.Pay M. 

Rank of Major. 

Chief of Engineers.Chf. E. 

Rank of Brigadier General. 

Chief of Ordnance Chf. Ord. 

Rank of Brigadier General. 

Judge Adv. Gen.J. A. G. 

Rank of Brigadier General. 

Judge Advocate.J. A. 

Rank of Major. 

Chief Signal Officer.C S. O. 

Rank of Colonel. 


Paymaster General. P. M. G. 

Rank of Commodore. 

Pay Director. Pay Dir. 

Rank of Captain. 

Pay Inspector. Pay Insp. 

Rank of Commander. 

Paymaster .P. M. 

Rank of Lieutenant Commander. 

Past Asst. P. M.P. A. P. M. 

Rank of Lieutenant. 

Assistant Paymaster. A. P. M. 

Rank of Master. 

Engineer-in-Chief. Eng;.-in-Chf. 

Rank of Commodore. 

Chief Engineer. Chf. E. 

Rank of Captain to Lieutenant. 

Past Asst. Eng. P. A. Eng. 

Rank of Lieutenant to Master. 

Assistant Engineer. A. Eng. 

Rank of Master to Ensign. 

Cadet Engineer. Cadet E. 

Graduates of Naval Academy. 

Chaplain . Chap. 

Rank of Captain to Lt. Com. 

Chief of Construction. Chf. Con. 

Rank of Commodore. 

Naval Constructor. Nav. Con. 

Rank of Captain to Lieutenant. 

Commandant . Comdt. 

Navy Yards and Stations. 

Navigator. Nav. 

Master of a Vessel. 

Captain (by courtesy) .. Capt. 

Master of a Merchant Vessel. 


THE DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICE 

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Minister Resident.Min. Res. 

Plenipotentiary.. ,E. E. and M. P. Minister Resident and Consul-Gen- 
Minister Plenipotentiary.Min. Plen. eral .M. R. and C. G. 






























FORMS OF ADDRESS AND SALUTATION 195 


Secretary of Legation. Sec. Leg. 

Interpreter . Xnt. 

Consul-General. C. G. 

Vice-Consul-General. V. C. G. 

Consul. C. 


Vice-Consul . V. C, 

FORMS OF ADDRESS 


Deputy Consul. 

.D. C. 

Consular Agent. 


Commercial Agent. 

.C. A. 

Agent . 


Marshal . 


Consular Clerk. 

.c. c. 


AND SALUTATION 


The form of address is printed in plain Roman type, the salutation in italic. 


PERSONS IN THE LEARNED PROFESSIONS 


THE CLERGY 

A Bishop (other than a Methodist). 

To the Right Reverend -, D. D., Bishop of Ohio. Right Reverend 

Sir :—■, or Right Rev. and dear Sir: 

Address a Methodist Bishop as Rev. simply. 

A Rector, Minister, Priest, Rabbi, or Reader. 

To the Rev. -. To the Rev. Dr. A- B-. Rev. C. E. Burton. 

D. D., Pastor (or Rector, as the case may be) of - Church, Cleveland. 

Sir: —. Reverend Sir :—. Rev. and dear Sir: —. 


THE BENCH AND THE BAR 

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 

To the Hon.-, Chief Justice of-, etc. To the Chief Justice of the 

Supreme Court, etc. Sir :—. Mr. Chief Justice :—. Your Honor :—. May it 
Please your Honor :—. May it Please the Honorable Court :—. 

“Your Honor,” “May it Please,” etc., are terms used in court, not in 
private letters. 

An Associate Justice. 

To the Honorable-, Justice, etc. Or> Honorable Justice-. Sir :— 

Your Honor :—■, etc. 

Other Judges. 

The Hon. -, Judge of the Court of Quarter Sessions (or as the case 

may be). Or simply, The Honorable A- B-. Sir :—. Dear Sir:—. 

Your Honor :—, etc. 

Lawyers, Justices of the Peace, etc. 

James A. Brown, Esq. Sir :—. Dear Sir :—. 

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 
A Physician or Surgeon. 

Dr. C. A. Scott. Or, C. A. Scott, Esq., M’. D. Sir :—. Dear Sir :—. 

A Dentist. 

Dr. John Allen. Or, John Allen, Esq., D. D. S. (or D. M. D.) Sir :—. 
Dear Sir 













196 


LETTER WRITING. 


LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN 
The President of a College. 

The Rev. Henry C. King, D. D., LL. D., President of Oberlin College. 
Or, The Rev. Dr. King (with or without the designation). Sir :—. ' 
Dear Sir :—. Rev. and dear Sir :—. 

A Professor. 

Henry Lewis, D. D., LL. D., Professor of Greek in - College. Or, 

Prof. Henry Lewis, D. D., LL. D. Or, Dr. Henry Lewis, Prof, of -, 

etc. Sir :—. Dear Sir :—. 

OFFICERS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE 

The President of the United States. 

To the President, Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C. Sir :—, or 
Mr. President :—. 

The Vice-President. 

To the Honorable James S. Sherman, Vice-President of the U. S. Or 
(unofficial), Hon. James S. Sherman. Sir :—. 

Cabinet Ministers. 

To the Honorable Jacob M. Dickinson, Secretary of War. Or, To the 
Honorable the Secretary of War. Or, Hon. Jacob M. Dickinson. Sir :—. 

All others not specified who are entitled to “Honorable,” are addressed 
in a similar manner. 

Foreign Ministers. 

To his Excellency Whitelaw Reid, Envoy Ex., etc., at the Court of St. 
James. Your Excellency :—. Sir :—. 

Assistant Secretaries, Heads of Bureaus, etc. 

To -, Esq., Assistant Secretary of State. Sir :—. (Sometimes, by 

courtesy, addressed as Hon.) 

The Governor of a State. 

To His Excellency Judson Harmon, Governor of the State of Ohio. Or, 
His Excellency Governor Judson Harmon. Or, To His Excellency the 
Governor. Sir :—. Your Excellency :—. 

Heads of State Departments, Members of the State Senate, etc. 

Hon. -, Attorney-General of N. Y. Sir :—. 

OFFICERS IN THE MILITARY OR NAVAL SERVICE 

ARMY OFFICERS 
The General of the Army. 

To General Leonard M. Wood, Commanding the Armies of the United 
States. Or, General Leonard M, Wood, Commanding U. S. A. Or, To the 



FORMS OF ADDRESS AND SALUTATION 


19 ; 


General of the Army. (It is a rule of the War Department at Washington, 
to address all officers by their office, not by name.) General: —, or Sir :—. 

The general practice in the army is to use the military title ( General, Col., Captain, 
etc.) in the salutation, in addressing all officers above the grade of Lieutenant. A Lieut, 
has the salutation of Sir. In the superscription, his rank is generally mentioned. In 
army correspondence the address is generally, not always, writtent at the top of the letter. 

A Colonel. 

Col. -, commanding 1st Cavalry. Or, Col. -, U. S. A. Colonel:—. 

The Quarter Master General. 

The same as a business man; and other officers of the Army are ad¬ 
dressed in a similar manner. 

NAVY OFFICERS 


The Admiral of the Navy. 

To Admiral D. G. Farragut, Commanding the Fleets of the U. S. Or, 
Admiral D. G. Farragut, Commanding U. S. N. Or, To the Admiral of the 
Navy. Sir :—. 

In the Navy, Sir is invariably used as the salutation; and the address, consisting 
of the name, title, and command, is written at the bottom. The following is an extract 
from the Navy Regulations:— 

“Line officers in the Navy, down to and including Commander, will be addressed 
by their proper title; below the rank of Commander, either by the title of their grade, 
or Mr. Officers of the Marine Corps above the rank of 1st Lieut, will be addressed 
by their military title, brevet or lineal; of and below that rank, by their title of Mr. 
Officers not of the line will be addressed by their titles, or as Mr. or Dr., as the case 
may be.” 

A Commodore. 

Commodore A- B-, commanding South Atlantic Squadron (or as 

the case may be). Or, Commodore A- B-, U. S. N. Sir :—. 

Other officers of the Navy are addressed in a similar manner. 

LEGISLATIVE AND OTHER ORGANIZED BODIES 

Communications to an organized body are usually addressed to the Presi¬ 
dent of that body as its chief representative. The communications may, how¬ 
ever, be addressed to the body itself. In such cases it goes to the President, 
and is by him formally presented. 

Communications, especially petitions, are often addressed "To the presi¬ 
dent and members of -,” etc. 

The Senate of the U. S. 

To the Honorable the Senate of the U. S. in Congress Assembled. Hon¬ 
orable Sirs: —. Or, May it please your Honorable Body (or the Honorable 
Senate ) :—. 

The President of the Senate. 

To the Honorable the President of the Senate of the U. S. Or, To the 
Honorable James S. Sherman, President of the Senate of the U. S. Sir: —. 
Or, Honorable Sir :—. 

The House of Representatives. 

Address and salutation similar to those of the Senate. 




198 


LETTER WRITING 


The Speaker of the House. 

To the Honorable the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Or, 
To the Honorable Champ Clark, Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Sir: —, or, Mr. Speaker :—. 

State Legislatures. 

They are addressed in the same form as the House of Congress, except, 
of course, the name, and the formula “in Congress assembled.” 

The title “Honorable” is generally applied to Legislative bodies if addressed collec¬ 
tively, even though the individual members are not entitled to it. For example, in 
most states in addressing the House of Representatives of the State, we would use the 
title “Honorable,” but in addressing an individual member, as stated elsewhere, we 
would use the title Esq., with the salutation Sir. The same applies, to city governments. 
In some states, the Speaker of the House is addressed as “Honorable.” 

A Court. 

To the Honorable Judges of the-Court. Your Honors: —. Or, May 

it please your Honors :—. 

A Board of Education. 

To the President and Members of the Board of Education (or whatever 
the corporate name may be). Sirs: —. Or (if in the city), May it please 
your Honorable Body :— 

As stated above, communications (except petitions) are generally ad¬ 
dressed to the President of such bodies, as follows 

The President of a Board of Education, Directors, or Commissioners. 

To - Esq., President of the Board of School Commissioners of Bal¬ 

timore City. Sir :—. 

To a Company. 

To -, Esq., President of the L. S. & M. S. R. R. Co. Or, To - , 

Esq., President of the- Insurance Co., New York. Sir :—. 

A PETITION 

To a Legislature. 

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The undersigned respectfully represent, 
etc. Or, The petition of A. B. (or the undersigned) humbly showeth, etc. 

Close when there are several signers: —And your petitioners, as in 
duty bound, will ever pray, etc. 

(Signatures.) (Signatures.) 

In a petition to Congress, or to either House, add the words “in Con¬ 
gress assembled.” A petition to a court or other body is in the same general 
form. 



ROMAN CATHOLIC TITLES AND FORMS 


199 


ROMAN CATHOLIC TITLES AND FORMS 

With Directions for Addressing the Pope and other Dignitaries of the 
Church, and a List of Abbreviations allowed and used 
by Roman Catholics.* 

Explanation. — A - denotes Christian name; B - , family name;(o), the address 

of the letter; (b), the salutation; (c), the complimentary close. 

The Pope. 

(a) 1. To our Most Holy Father, Pope Pius the Tenth (or Pope 

Pius X.). 

2. To His Holiness Pope Pius the Tenth (or Pope Pius X.). 

( b ) 1. Most Holy Father. 2. Your Holiness. 

(c) Prostrate at the feet of your Holiness 

And begging the Apostolic Benediction, 

I protest myself now and at all times to be, 

Of your Holiness, the most obedient son, 

A- B-. 

Note. —The first forms of address and salutation would be used by Catholics. The 
second forms might also be used by them, but would not sound so affectionate and 
loyal as the others. They would be used chiefly by those who, having to communicate 
with the Pope, but not acknowledging him as the head of their church, would still wish 
to treat him with respect. The concluding form is of course for Catholics only. Non- 
Catholics would have to trust to their good taste or common sense to conclude suitably. 
If several join in the concluding form, it must be put in the plural. If the writer be 
a female, she writes “child,” instead of “daughter;” if a boy or youth, he writes “child,” 
instead of “sir;” if the writers are of both sexes they write “children.” 

A Cardinal. 

(a) 1. To His Eminence Cardinal B-. (If he be also a bishop, an 

archbishop, or a patriach, add) Bishop (or as the case may 
be) of-. 

.. 2 . To His Eminence the Most Reverend Cardinal B-. 

( b ) 1. Most Eminent Sir. 2. Most Eminent and Most Reverend Sir. 

(c) 1. Of Your Eminence, 

The most obedient and most humble servant, 

A- B-. 

1. I have the honor to be. 

Most Eminent Sir, 

With profound respect, 

Your obedient and humble servant, 

A- B-. 

Notes. —1. If the writer be a Catholic and belong to the cardinal’s diocese (sup¬ 
posing him to have one), he adds, if he be an ecclesiastic, after the words “humble 
servant,” the words “and subject;” but if he be a layman he adds the words, “and son.” 

2. The Christian name is not generally used in addressing prelates, if the family 
name be a distinguished one, and if there be no danger of its being mistaken for the 
name of another person. To such common names as Smith and Jones, however, the 
Christian name should generally be added, to avoid confusion. If the official title follow 
the name, the Christian name must always be used; as, 

“His Eminence A- B-, Archbishop of New York.” 


•The interesting and valuable information under this heading has been adapted from 
the article prepared by Monsignor Seton, D. D., and published in Westlake’s ‘How to 
Write Letters.’ We are indebted to Right Reverend Bishop Horstmann, of Cleveland, 
for suggestions in the revision. 








200 


LETTER WRITING 


3. The title D. D. or S. T. D. (Doctor of Divinity) may be written after the name 
of a cardinal, archbishop, or bishop; but the best authorities condemn its use in these 
cases, for the reason that such persons are doctors ex-officio, and the title is therefore 
redundant. It is never used when the official title precedes the name. Thus, we may 

write “Right Reverend A-B-, D. D.,” but not “Right Reverent Bishop B-, 

D. D.” 


Apostolic Delegate. 

(a) 1. The Most Reverend Archbishop - Apostolic Delegate. 

2. The Most Reverend A- B-, Apostolic Delegate. 

( b ) 1. Most Reverend Archbishop, or Your Excellency. 

(c) 1. I have the honor to be, 

Most Reverend Sir, or 
Most Reverend Archbishop, or 
Most Reverend and Dear Sir, 

Your obedient servant, 

A- B- 


An Archbishop. 

(a) 1. Most Reverend Archbishop B-. Or, 

2. Most Reverend A- B-, Archbishop of -. 

( b ) 1. Most Reverend and Respected Sir. Or, 

2. Most Reverend and Dear Sir. 

(c) 1. I have the honor to be, 

Most Reverend Sir, or 
Most Reverend Archbishop, or 
Most Reverend and Dear Sir, 

Your obedient servant, 

A- B - . 


Note.—T he second form of salutation (b 2) is to be used only by a clergyman or 
a friend. 


A Bishop. 

(a) 1. Right Reverend Bishop B-. Or, 

2. Right Reverend A- B-, Bishop of -. 

( b ) 1. Right Reverend Sir. 2. Right Reverend and Dear Sir. 

3. Right Reverend and Dear Bishop. 

(c) I have the honor to remain, 

Right Reverend Sir (or any of the formulas b, 1, 2, 3), 

Your obedient servant, 

(Roman) Prelates. A-B-. 

I. Apostolic Prothonotaries. 

II. Domestic Prelates (viz., of the Pope). 

(Both are styled, like bishops and abbots, Right Reverend, and are generally called 
Monsignores, a title, however, which is given, in Italy, to all prelates above them, except 
to cardinals and abbots; and to some dignitaries below them. Among English-speaking 
Catholics it is not used of archbishops and bishops.) 

(a) 1. Right Reverend Monsignor* B-. (I. II.) Or, 

2. Right Reverend A- B-. (I., II.) Or, 

3. Right Reverend Monsignor B-, Prothonotary Apostolic (I. 

only.) 

4. Right Rev. Monsignor A- B-, Prothonotary Aspostolic, 

etc. (I. only.) (Etc. is added when, as is usually the case, 
he has other dignities.) 


*Monstgnor has become more or less anglicized; consequently, Monsigneur, which is 
French, should not be used except when writing in that language. Monsignor and Mon¬ 
signore (Italian) are used indifferently, but in English the former is preferable. 





ROMAN CATHOLIC TITLES AND FORMS 


201 


5. Right Reverend A-B-, 

Domestic Prelate of His Holiness (or of the Pope). (II. only.) 

It will be noticed that the 1st and 2d of the above forms apply equally to I. and II.; 
and the 3d and 4th to I. only; the 5th to II. only. 

( b ) 1. Right Reverend Sir. 

2. Right Reverend Monsignore. Or, 

3. My dear Monsignor (if well acquainted). Or, simply 

4. Monsignor. 

The above forms (b) apply both to I. and II. The 4th is stiff, such as might be 
used by a total stranger or not very friendly correspondent. To begin, “Monsignor 
B-,” would be rude, and forbode that the writer meant to say something disagreeable. 

(c) 1. Right Reverend Sir. 

2. Right Reverend and Dear Sir. Or, 

3. My dear Monsignor, 

Your friend and servant, 

A- B-. 


Inferior Dignitaries .—All dignitaries inferior to patriarchs, archbishops, 
bishops, abbots, and prelates are addressed “Very Reverend.” Dignitaries 
are Roman Monsignores other than the two sorts of Prelates mentioned above, 
Administrators of vacant dioceses, Vicars General, Provosts, Archpriests, 
Canons, Deans, Heads, and Provincials of Religious Orders, and Priors of 
Priories (which are separate establishments). These, and by courtesy some 
others, such as Priors of Monasteries over which abbots preside, Rectors 
and local Superiors of Religious Houses, Presidents or heads of seminaries, 
colleges and larger religious institutions, are properly addressed as ‘Very 
Reverend.” 


Doctors of Divinity or of Laws (1), Vicars Forane. (2), Rural Deans (3), Vice 
Presidents of colleges, or other assistant superiors of religious institutions (4), Members 
of the Episcopal Council (5), Examiners of the Clergy (6), Chancellors of a diocese 
(7), the Secretary of a bishop or of a diocese (8), and others, along with Priests, have 
no claim to be styled “Very Reverend,” although a somewhat abusive custom seems to 
allow it to classes 2, 3, and 4. These and all others in Priests’ or Deacons orders 
should be styled simply “Reverend.” 


A Vicar General. 

(a) 1. Very Reverend A- B- (with initials of office). Or, 

2. Very Reverend Vicar General B-. Or, 

3. Very Reverend A-B-, 

Vicar General of- (name of diocese). 

( b ) 1. Very Reverend and Dear Sir. 

2. Very Reverend Sir. Or, 

3. My dear Vicar General (only if the writer belong to the dio¬ 

cese). Or, simply, 4. Dear Sir. 

The Rector of a Religious House, Provincial of an Order, or a Prior. 

(a) 1. Very Reverend Father A- B- (initials of order), Rector 

(or Prior) of - (name of House). Or, Provincial of 

-(name of Order, or, better, of the members of the 

Order taken collectively). 

Doctors of Divinity (D. D.) or of Law (LL. D.) 

(a) 1. Reverend A- B-, D. D. (or LL. D.). Or, 

2. Reverend Dr. A-B-. 

If such an one be the pastor of a church, or a professor in a seminary or other 
institution, add “Pastor of -,” or “Professor of . 






202 


LETTER WRITING 


Priest (simply). 

(a) 1. Reverend A - B -. Or, 2. Reverend Father A - B-. 

Or, 3. Reverend Father B-. 

(b) 1. Reverend Sir. Or, 2. Reverend and Dear Sir. Or, 

3. Reverend Doctor. 

Note.— “Your Reverence" is courteous and correct, but is local in its use: being 
confined mainly to Irish Catholics. 

Female Superiors of Religious Orders. 

(It is quite customary, but abusively so, to call every female superior of 
a religious order, or house, “Reverend Mother.” The proper style is as 
follows:—) 

(a) Mother-(name in religion, e. g., Elizabeth). Or, 

2. Mother- (name in religion, unless she preserves, as in some 

orders, her family name), 

Superior of - ( e . g., Sisters of Charity). 

Note.— Members of one religious order in the United States, the “Ladies of the 
Sacred Heart," are always addressed and spoken of as “Madame." In England, an 

abbess is styled “The Right Reverend Lady Abbess of -" (name of abbey), or “The 

Right Reverend Lady Abbess-" (Christian and family name only). It is customary, 

even in the United States, to style religious women who are at the head of some religious 
order (as, for instance, the Sisters of Charity),—not merely superiors of houses of that 
religious order (as, for instance, the Sisters of Charity),—not merely superiors of that 
order,—or who are the superiors of houses belonging to ancient orders (as, for instance, 
the Benedictines, the Dominicians, etc.), “Reverend"; as, "The Reverend Abbess” or 
“Prioress," or “The Reverend Mother Abbess" or “Prioress," or “The Reverend Mother 
Superior." 


LETTERS AND PETITIONS TO THE POPE AND OTHERS 


Letters.—In letters to the Pope, the salutation must stand alone upon 
one line at the top of the page; the body of the letter occupies the middle 
portion of the page, and the place of writing and date are put at the bottom, 
near the left edge. A certain vacant space should be left between the salu¬ 
tation and the beginning of the letter, an equal space between the compli¬ 
mentary close and the signature, and a less space between the end of the 
letter and the complimentary close. By reason of these requirements, note 
paper or any small form of letter paper should never be used for this pur¬ 
pose. The same requirements must be observed in writing to Cardinals and 
other high ecclesiastics in all parts of Italy—at least when writing in any¬ 
thing like a formal or official manner, except that the spaces diminish with 
the rank of the dignitaries. 


Petitions.—The form of a petition is somewhat different; and the; 
language should be Latin or Italian. French, however, is tolerated, if the 
Pope understands it, which may not always be the case. 

A sheet of official letter paper is folded lengthwise into two equal parts 
by turning the left or folded edge over to the right (thus bringing half of 
the fourth page uppermost). Near the top of this fold is written the address 
r T .°, H,S Holl ? eSS ' P °Pe Pius X.,” e. g.) ■ half-way down, the 
word for (in the proper language); and near the bottom, the name and 
residence of the petitioner. Then the sheet is unfolded, bringing it to its 
original position. On the left-hand column of the first page, near the top, 





ABBREVIATIONS USED BY ROMAN CATHOLICS 


203 


the petitioner writes the salutation (“Most Holy Father.” e. g.), then—leav¬ 
ing the customary space—his petition; and, at the bottom, without his sig¬ 
nature, a formula corresponding to our closing form, “And your petitioner, 
as in duty bound, will ever pray,” etc. On the right-hand fold or column 
the Pope’s answer is written, either in his own handwriting or that of a 
person who has been charged with that duty. 

The object of folding the page, and of writing the petition on one fold of it, is 
that the answer to it may be written on the other column or fold, and thus the two parts 
of the document be put, for convenience, in juxtaposition. 

One Side Only.—A petition, and, in fact, a letter, address, or any other 
communication to the Pope, should generally occupy only one side (the face) 
of the leaf; but if the matter cannot be contained on one page only, it should 
be continued on the third page of the sheet, and not on the second page. 

Place of Address.— In a letter to a Cardinal, the place and date should 
be written in the upper right corner (the usual position), and the Cardinals 
address in the lower left corner. Indeed it is better in all cases to put a 
clergyman’s address (as is customary in Rome) at the bottom rather than at 
the top, to distinguish the letter in form from ordinary business and other 
secular letters. 

ABBREVIATIONS USED BY ROMAN CATHOLICS 


Remark.— In writing to the Pope, a Cardinal, or any high dignitary, 
abbreviations relating to the dignitary may be used in the outside address, 
but not in the inside address or the body of the letter. Abbreviations that 
do not relate to the dignitary himself may, however, be tolerated in the letter. 

Explanation.— The words and letters in italics are always printed so. 


Holy Father.H. F. 

His Holiness.H. H. 

Cardinal . Card. 

His Eminence... .H. E. or His Em. 

Archbishop . Abp. 

Bishop . 

Abbott, Abbess. Abb * 

Prior, Prioress .P f * 

Monsignor. Monsig.* 

| Prothonotary Apostolic ...Prot. Ap. 

Domestic Prelate.Dom. Prel, 

Private Chamberlain. .Priv. Chamb. 

Provincial .Prov. or P. 

Superior .. • Sup. 

Vicar General ... .V. G. or Vic. Gen. 
Vicar Forane.V. F. or Vic. For. 


Rural Dean.R. D. or Rur. Dn. 

Chancellor . Chanc. 

Canon . Can. 

Provost . Prov. 

Brother .Br. Bro. 

Sister. Sr. Sist, 

Rector . Rect, 

Father, Friar. Pr* 

Most Reverend . 

.Most Rev. or Mt. Rev. 

Right Reverend. Rt. Rev. 

Very Reverend.. V. R. or Very Rev. 

Doctor of Divinity.D. D.t 

Vicar Apostolic.... V. A. orVic. Ap. 

Diocese .Dioc. 

Pastor . 

Saint . St. 


•Mgr. is frequently, but ignorantly, used for the abbreviation of Monsignor. It is 
the abbreviation of the French Monscigneur. 

tThe clergy are divided into Secular clergy and Regular clergy. D. D. is generally 
placed only after the name of a member of the secular clergy; t. e.. of one n °* 
to a religious order. After the name of a member of a religious community, congregation, 
or order g it is usual to put the initials only of that community ^A-^V— D 
In all cases, the D. D. precedes any other initials; as Very Rev.A B 

D., V. G.” 
































204 


LETTER WRITING 


Coadjutor, Coadjutor Bishop. 

. Coad.,* Coad. Bp. 

In partibus infidelium . 

. in part .,t or i. p. i. 

Parish Priest ..P. P. 

Monastery.Mon. or Monast. 

Convent.Con. or Conv. 

Community . Com. 

Congregation* . Cong. 

Novitiate . Nov, 

Primate . Prim, 


Metropolitan.Metr. or Metrop. 

Diocesan Seminary.Dioc. Sem. 

Provincial Seminary.Prov. Sem. 

Catholic Institute .Cath. Inst. 

Young Men’s Catholic Association.. 

.Y. M. Cath. A. 

Parochial Library.Paroch. Lib, 

Female Academy.Fern. Ac. or Acad. 
Coadjutor with right of succession.. 

.Coad. cum. jure sue. 

Blessed Virgin Mary.B. V. M.§ 


# Written with a small c if after the name; as, “Rt. Rev. A- B-, coadjutor.” 

t Never in capitals, and always after the name; as, “Rt. Rev. A- B-, Bp. 

of — — in part.” 

$ A kind of religious order. 

{ Frequently found in Catholic Directories, after the name of a church; as, for 
instance, “Church of the Visitation, B. V. M.” 


ABBREVIATIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL RELIGIOUS ORDERS 
IN THE UNITED STATES. 

Written after the Names of the Members. 


English. 

Benedictines. 

Dominicans. 

Franciscans. 

Augustinians. 

Capuchins. j 

Cistercians. 

Jesuits. 

Redemptorists. j 

Passionists. 

Minor Conventuals 
Carmelites, Calced.... 

Discalced.. 
Vincentians, or Laz- 
arists. 


Abbreviations. 


Latin. 


O. S. B. 

O. P. or O. S. D. 


Ordinis Sancti Benedicti. 
Ordinis. Praedicatorum; 
Sancti Dominici. 


or, 


O. S. F. 


Ordinis Sancti Francisci. 


Ordinis 


O. S. A. 

Cap. or 
O. Min. Cap. 
O. Cist. 


Ordinis Sancti Augustini. 

Capucinus; or, Ordinis Minorum 
Capucinorum. 

Ordinis Cisterciensis. 


S. J. 

Redempt., or 
C. SS. R. 
Pass, or C. P. 


O. M. Conv. 


Societatis Jesu. 

Redemptorista; or, Congregations 
Sanctissimi Redemptoris. 
Passionista; or, Congregationis Pas- 
sionis. 

Ordinis Minorum Conventualium. 


o. c. c. 

O. C. D. or Dis. 


Ordinis Carmelitarum Calceatorum. 
Ordinis Carmelitarum Discalceatorum. 


C. M. 


Congregationis Missionum. 


Sulpitians. S. S. 

Oblates of Mary Im¬ 
maculate. O. M. I. 

Ladies of the Sacred Heart. 

Nuns of the Visitation . 

Sisters of Charity. 

Sisters of Notre Dame. 


(Societatis) Sancti Sulpitii. 


Ladies of the S. H. 
Nuns of the V. 
Sisters of Char. 
Sisters of N. D. 











































CLASSIFIED LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 


205 


CLASSIFIED LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. 

[Exclusive of those Denoting Titles.] 

Note.—T he capitalization of abbreviations is largely a matter of taste. 

CHRONOLOGICAL 


TIME OF DAY 

Hour, h.; minute, min.; second, sec. 
Forenoon (ante meridiem) ... .A. M. 

Afternoon (post meridiem) -P. M. 

Noon (meridiem) .M. 

MONTHS 


Month, months .mo., mos. 

Last month (ultimo) .ult. 


This month (instant). inst. 

Next month (proximo) . prox. 

YEARS AND ERAS 

Year, years .yr., yrs. 

By the year (per annum)... .per an. 

Before Christ.B. C. 

In the Christian Era (Anno Domini) 

.A. D. 

Week . wk. 


RELATING TO BUSINESS 


Account . 

.acct., a/c. 

Cash on delivery. 

.C. O. D, 


. Agt. 

Debtor . 

. Dr. 


.Amt. 

Ditto (the same). 


At or to (mercantile)... 


Discount. 


A TTpro crp 

. av. 

Dividend . 

.div. 

TJ o lOtlf'A 

. bal. 

Dollar, dollars. 


P on 

. bk. 

Dozen . 

. doz. 

Barrel, barrels.bl., 

bbl. or bis. 

Draft. 

. Dft. 


.B. B. 

Each . 

. Ea. 

Bills Payable. 

. ...B. Pay. 

Errors excepted. 

.E. E. 

Bills Receivable. 

. ...B, Rec. 

Errors and omissions 

excepted. 

rrVi f* 

. bo’t. 


...E. & O. E. 

Brother, Brothers. 

.Bro., Bros. 

Et cetera (and the rest) ... .etc., &c. 

T) 1 i 

. brot. 

Foot or feet. 

.ft. 

D < < r> V) d 1 

.. bu., bush. 

Forward . 

.For’d. 

By the. 

.P., p. or 

Free on board. 

.f. o. b. 


... Cash. 

Freight . 

. Fr’t. 

Cash Book. 

.C. B. 

Gross. 


, 

. cld. 

Gallon . 



_ched. 

Half. 

.Hlf. 

^ * . Co. 

Handkerchiefs . 

. hdkfs. 


_c /o. 

Head . 

. Hd. 

Collector . 

coii. 

Hogshead . 

. hhd. 

Commission . 

.Com. 

Hundred .. 

... C. or hund. 

Commerce . 

.Com. 

Hundred weight .... 

.cwt. 


Cr. 

Interest . 

. int. 


rt rtS. 


.I. B. 

Clerk . 

. elk. 





































































206 


LETTER WRITING 


Insurance . Ins. 

Invoice . Inv. 

Inventory .Inv’t. 

Journal .Jour. 

Journal Folio.J. F. 

Ledger. Ledg. 

Ledger Folio.L. F. 

Measure . meas. 

Merchandise . mdse. 

Memorandum .mem. 

Number, numbers .No., Nos. 

Outward Invoice Book.O. I. B. 

Ounce .. oz. 

Package .pkge. 

Page, pages.p., pp. 

Pair .pr. 

Peck, pecks .pk., pks. 

Petty Cash Book .P. C. B. 

Paid.pd. 

Payment .payt. 

Pint, pints.pt., pts. 

Premium .prem. 

Per annum (by the year) ... .per an. 


Per cent (by the hundred) .per cent. 


Pennyweight .pwt. 

Pound, pounds.lb., lbs. 

Quart, quarts .qt., qts. 

Quarter, quarters .qr., qrs. 

Returned ...*_ret’d. 

Received .rec’d. 

Receipt .rec’t. 

Schooner .schr. 

Sales Book.S. B. 

Sailed .sld. 

Shipment .shipt. 

Square .sq. 

Storage .stor. 

Steamer .Str. 

Sundries .sunds. 

Thousand . M. 

Tonnage ........ton. 

Volume .,. vol. 

Weight . wt. 

Without deduction .net. 

Yard, yards .yd., yds. 


RELATING TO LAW AND GOVERNMENT 


Abbreviations of official titles not here given may be found in the Classified list of Titles. 


Administrator .Admr. 

Administratrix .Admx. 

Attorney .Atty. 

Against ( versus ).v. or vs. 

Assistant .Asst. 

And others (et alii ).et al. 

Clerk .elk. 

Committee .Com. 

Common Pleas .C. P. 


Congress .Cong. 

Defendant ...Deft. 

Justice of the Peace.. J. P. 

Member of Congress .M. C, 

Plaintiff .pitf. 

Postoffice . P. O. 

Postmaster .p. M. 

Right Honorable.Rt. Hon. 

Superintendent .Supt. 


ECCLESIASTICAL 


Congregational .Cong. 

Deacon .Dea. 


God willing (Deo volente )_D. V. 

Jesus the Savior of Men_I. H. S. 


Methodist Episcopal 
Protestant Episcopal 

Presbyterian . 

Roman Catholic .... 


.M. E. 

.P. E. 

.Presb. 

Rom. Cath. 







































































CLASSIFIED LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 


207 


Ad libitum (at pleasure) 

Alley . 

American.Am. or Amer. 

Anno Domini (in the year of our 

Lord) .A. D. 

Anonymous .anon. 

Answer .ans, 

Arithmetic .Arith. 

Avenue .Av. or Ave. 

Borough .Bor. or bor. 

Christmas .Xmas 

Corresponding Secretary.. .Cor. Sec. 

Corner .Cor. 

County .Co. or co. 

Court House.C. H. 

District .Dist. 

East, E.; West, W.; North, N.; 
South, S. 

Executive Committee.Ex. Com. 

Id est (that is) ..., .i. e. 

Incognito (unknown) .incog. 

Island .Isl. 


Junior .Jr. or Jun. 

Lake . L. 

Manuscript .MS. {pi. MSS.) 

Mountain or Mount ..Mt. {pi. Mts.) 

Postscript .P* S, 

Pro tempore (for the time) .pro tern. 

Railroad. R* R* 

Railway .Ry* 

Recording Secretary.Rec. Sec. 

River . R* 

Secretary .Sec. 

Senior.Sr. or Sen. 

Street or Saint.St. (pi. Sts.) 

Take Notice .N. B. 

Township .tp. 

Videlicet (namely) .viz. 

Village.Vil. or vil. 

Young Men’s Christian Associa¬ 
tion .Y. M. C. A. 

Young Women’s Christian Asso¬ 
ciation .Y. W. C. A. 


MISCELLANEOUS 

....ad lib. 

Al. 






































208 


LETTER WRITING 


CENSUS OF 1910 

CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES WITH MORE THAN 10,000 IN¬ 
HABITANTS, ARRANGED BY STATES 


ALABAMA 


Birmingham. 

. 132,685 

Mobile . 

51,521 

Montgomery . 

. 38,136 

Selma . 

. 13,649 

Anniston . 

. 12,794 

Bessemer . 

. 10,864 

Gadsden . 

. 10,557 

ARIZONA 


Tucson . 

.. 13,193 

Phoenix . 

. 11,134 

ARKANSAS 


Little Rock . 

. 45,941 

Fort Smith . 

. 23,975 

Pine Bluff . 

. 15,102 

Hot Springs. 

. 14,434 

Argenta. 

. 11,138 

CALIFORNIA 


San Francisco. 

. 416,912 

Los Angeles. 

. 319,198 

Oakland . 

. 150,174 

Sacramento . 

.. 44,696 

Berkeley . 

. 40,434 

San Diego . 

.. 39,578 

Pasadena . 

. 30,291 

San Jose . 

. 28,946 

Fresno . 

. 24,892 

Alameda . 

. 23,383 

Stockton . 

. 23,253 

Long Beach . 

. 17,809 

Riverside . 

. 15,212 

San Bernardino . 

. 12,779 

Bakersfield . 

. 12,727 

Eureka . 

. 11,845 

Santa Barbara . 

. 11,659 

Vallejo . 

. 11,340 

Santa Cruz. 

. 11,146 

Redlands . 

. 10,449 

Pomona . 

. 10,207 


COLORADO 


Denver . 213,381 

Pueblo . 44,395 

Colorado Springs. 29,078 

Trinidad . 10,204 

CONNECTICUT 

New Haven . 133,605 

Bridgeport . 102,054 

Hartford . 98,915 

Waterbury . 73,141 

New Britain . 43,916 

Meriden . 27,265 

Stamford . 25,138 

Norwich . 20,367 

Danbury . 20,234 

New London . 19,659 

Torrington . 15,483 

Ansonia . 15,152 

Manchester . 13,641 

Naugatuck . 12,722 

Middletown . 11,851 

Willimantic . 11,230 

DELAWARE 

Wilmington . 87,411 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 

Washington . 331,069 

FLORIDA 

Jacksonville . 57,699 

Tampa . 37,782 

Pensacola . 22,982 

Key West. 19,945 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta . 154,839 

Savannah . 65,064 

Augusta . 41,040 

Macon . 40,665 

Columbus . 20,554 






































































CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES: CENSUS 1910 209 


Athens . 


W aycross . 


Rome . 


Brunswick . 


IDAHO 

Boise . 

... 17,358 

ILLINOIS 

Chicago . 

..2,185,283 

Peoria . 

... 66,950 

East St. Louis . 

... 58,547 

Springfield . 

... 51,678 

Rockford . 

... 45,401 

Quincy . 

... 35,587 

Joliet . 

... 34,670 

Decatur . 

... 31,140 

Aurora . 

... 29,807 

Danville . 

... 27,871 

Elgin . 

... 25,976 

Bloomington . 

... 25,768 

Evanston . 

... 24,978 

Rock Island . 

.. 24,335 

Moline . 

... 24,199 

Galesburg . 

.. 22,089 

Belleville . 

... 21,122 

Oak Park . 

.. 19,444 

Freeport . 

.. 17,567 

Alton . 

.. 17,528 

Waukegan . 

.. 16,069 

Jacksonville . 

.. 15,326 

Cicero . 

.. 14,557 

Cairo . 

.. 14,548 

Chicago Heights . 

.. 14,525 

Streator . 

.. 14,253 

Kankakee . 

.. 13,986 

Champaign . 

.. 12,421 

Lasalle . 

.. 11,537 

Mattoon . 

.. 11,456 

Lincoln . 

.. 10,892 

Canton . 

.. 10,453 

INDIANA 

Indianapolis . 

.. 233,650 

Evansville . 

.. 69,647 

Fort Wayne . 

.. 63,933 

Terre Haute . 

.. -58,157 

South Bend . 

.. 53,684 

Muncie . 

.. 24,005 

Anderson . 

.. 22,476 


Richmond . 22,324 

Hammond . 20,925 

New Albany . 20,629 

Lafayette . 20,081 

Marion . 19,359 

Elkhart . 19,282 

East Chicago . 19,098 

Logansport . 19,050 

Michigan City . 19,027 

Kokomo . 17,010 

Gary . 16,802 

Vincennes . 14,895 

Mishawaka . 11,886 

El wood . 11,028 

Peru . 10,910 

Laporte . 10,525 

Jeffersonville . 10,412 

Huntington . 10,272 

IOWA 

Des Moines . 86,368 

Sioux City . 47,828 

Davenport . 43,028 

Dubuque . 38,494 

Cedar Rapids . 32,811 

Council Bluffs . 29,292 

Waterloo . 26,693 

Clinton . 25,577 

Burlington . 24,324 

Ottumwa . 22,012 

Muscatine . 16,178 

Fort Dodge . 15,543 

Keokuk . 14,008 

Marshalltown . 13,374 

Mason . 11,230 

Boone . 10,347 

Iowa City . 10,091 

KANSAS 

Kansas City . 82,331 

Wichita . 52,450 

Topeka . 43,684 

Leavenworth . 19,363 

Atchison . 16,429 

Hutchinson . 16,364 

Pittsburg . 14,755 

Coffeyville . 12,687 

Parsons . 12,463 

Lawrence . 12,374 

Independence . 10,480 

Fort Scott . ,,,,,, . 10,463 


































































































210 


LETTER WRITING 


KENTUCKY 


Louisville . 

223,928 

Covington . 

53,270 

Lexington . 

35,099 

Newport . 

30,309 

Paducah . 

22,760 

Owensboro . 

16,011 

Henderson . 

11,452 

Frankfort . 

10,465 

LOUISIANA 


New Orleans . 

339,075 

Shreveport .:.. 

28,015 

Baton Rouge . 

14,897 

Lake Charles . 

11,449 

Alexandria . 

11,213 

Monroe . 

10,209 

MAINE 


Portland . 

58,571 

Lewiston . 

26,247 

Bangor . 

24,803 

Biddeford . 

17,079 

Auburn . 

15,064 

Augusta . 

13,211 

Waterville . 

11,458 

MARYLAND 


Baltimore . 

558,485 

Cumberland . 

21,839 

Hagerstown . 

16,507 

Frederick . 

10,411 

MASSACHUSETTS 


Boston . 

670,585 

Worcester . 

145,986 

Fall River . 

119,295 

Lowell . 

106,294 

Cambridge . 

104,839 

New Bedford . 

96,652 

Lynn . 

89,336 

Springfield . 

88,926 

Lawrence . 

85,892 

Somerville . 

77,236 

Holyoke . 

57,730 

Brockton . 

56,878 

Malden . 

44,404 

Haverhill . 

44,115 

Salem . 

43,697 

Newton . 

39,806 

Fitchburg . 

37,826 

Taunton ... 

34,259 


Everett . 

. 33,484 

Quincy . 

. 32,642 

Chelsea . 

. 32,452 

Pittsfield . 

. 32,121 

Waltham . 

. 27,834 

Brookline . 

. 27,792 

Chicopee . 

. 25,401 

Gloucester . 

. 24,398 

Medford . 

. 23,150 

North Adams . 

. 22,019 

Northampton . 

. 19,431 

Beverly . 

. 18,650 

Revere . 

. 18,219 

Leominster . 

. 17,580 

Attleboro . 

. 16,215 

Westfield ... 

. 16,044 

Peabody . 

. 15,721 

Melrose . 

. 15,715 

Hyde Park . 

. 15,507 

Woburn . 

. 15,308 

Newburyport . 

. 14,949 

Gardner . 

. 14,699 

Marlborough . 

. 14,579 

Clinton . 

. 13,075 

Milford . 

. 13,055 

Adams . 

. 13,026 

Framingham . 

,. 12,948 

Weymouth . 

. 12,895 

Watertown . 

.. 12,875 

Southbridge .. 

.. 12,592 

Plymouth ... 

.. 12,141 

Webster .. 

.. 11,509 

Methuen .. 

.. 11,448 

Wakefield .. 

.. 11,404 

Arlington .. 

.. 11,187 

Greenfield .. 

.. 10,427 

Winthrop .. 

.. 10,132 

MICHIGAN 


Detroit . 

.. 465,706 

Grand Rapids . 

.. 112,571 

Saginaw . 

.. 50,510 

Bay City . 

.. 45,166 

Kalamazoo . 

.. 39,437 

Flint . 

.. 38,550 

Jackson . 

.. 31,433 

Lansing . 

.. 31,229 

Battle Creek . 

.. 25,267 

Muskegon . 

.. 24,062 

Port Huron . 

.. 18,863 

Ann Arbor . 

.. 14,817 

Pontiac . 

.. 14,532 

Escanaba . 

.. 13,194 


































































































CITIES OF UNITED STATES: CENSUS 1910 


211 


Ironwood . 12,821 

Alpena . 12^706 

Sault Ste. Marie. 12,615 

Ishpeming . 12,448 

Manistee . 12,381 

Traverse City . 12,115 

Marquette . 11,503 

Adrian . 10,763 

Menominee . 10,507 

Holland . 10,490 

MINNESOTA 

Minneapolis . 301,408 

St. Paul . 214,744 

Duluth . 78,466 

Winona . 18,583 

St. Cloud . 10,600 

Virginia . 10,473 

Mankato . 10,365 

Stillwater . 10,198 

MISSISSIPPI 

Meridian . 23,285 

Jackson . 21,262 

Vicksburg . 20,814 

Natchez . 11,791 

Hattiesburg . 11,733 

MISSOURI 

St. Louis . 687,029 

Kansas City . 248,381 

St. Joseph . 77,403 

Springfield . 35,201 

Joplin . 32,073 

Hannibal . 18,341 

Sedalia . 17,822 

Jefferson . 11,850 

Webb City . 11,817 

Moberly . 10,923 

MONTANA 

Butte . 39,165 

Great Falls . 13,948 

Missoula . 12,869 

Helena . 12,515 

Anaconda . 10,134 

Billings . 10,031 

NEBRASKA 

Omaha . 124,096 

Lincoln . 43,973 

South Omaha . 26,259 

Grand Island . 10,326 


NEVADA 


Reno . 10,867 


NEW HAMPSHIRE 

Manchester . 70,063 

Nashua . 26,005 

Concord . 21,497 

Dover . 13,247 

Berlin . 11,780 

Portsmouth . 11,269 

Laconia . 10,183 

Keene . 10,068 


NEW JERSEY 

Newark . 347,469 

Jersey City . 267,779 

Paterson . 125,600 

Trenton . 96,815 

Camden . 94,538 

Elizabeth . 73,409 

Hoboken . 70,324 

Bayonne . 55,545 

Passaic . 54,773 

Atlantic City . 46,150 

West Hoboken . 35,403 

East Orange . 34,371 

Perth Amboy . 32,121 

Orange . 29,630 

New Brunswick . 23,388 

Montclair . 21,550 

Union . 21,023 

Plainfield . 20,550 

Kearney . 18,659 

Bloomfield . 15,070 

Harrison . 14,498 

Bridgeton . 14,209 

Hackensack . 14,050 

Phillipsburg . 13,903 

West New York. 13,560 

Long Branch . 13,298 

Morristown . 12,507 

Millville . 12,451 

Irvington . 11,877 

West Orange . 10,980 

Garfield . 10,213 

Asbury Park . 10,150 


NEW MEXICO 

Albuquerque . 11,020 



























































































212 


LETTER WRITING 


NEW YORK 


New York.4,766,883 

Buffalo . 423,715 

Rochester . 218,149 

Syracuse . 137,249 

Albany . 100,253 

Yonkers . 79,803 

Troy. 76,813 

Utica . 74,419 

Schenectady . 72,826 

Binghampton.. 48,443 

Elmira . 37,176 

Auburn . 34,668 

Jamestown . 31,297 

Amsterdam . 31,267 

Mount Vernon . 30,919 

Niagara Falls . 30,445 

New Rochelle . 28,867 

Poughkeepsie . 27,936 

Newburgh . 27,805 

Watertown . 26,730 

Kingston. 25,908 

Cohoes . 24,709 

Oswego . 23,368 

Gloversville . 20,642 

Rome . 20,497 

Lockport . 17,970 

Dunkirk . 17,221 

White Plains . 15,949 

Ogdensburg . 15,933 

Middletown . 15,313 

Peekskill . 15,245 

Glens Falls . 15,243 

Watervliet . 15,074 

Ithaca . 14,802 

Olean . 14,743 

Lackawanna . 14,549 

Corning . 13,730 

Hornell . 13,617 

Port Chester . 12,809 

Saratoga Springs . 12,693 

Geneva . 12,446 

Little Falls . 12,273 

North Tonawanda. 11,955 

Batavia . 11,613 

Cortland . 11,504 

Ossining . 11,480 

Hudson . 11,417 

Plattsburg . 11,138 

Rensselaer . 10,711 

Fulton . 10,480 

Johnstown . 10,447 


NORTH CAROLINA 


Charlotte . 34,014 

Wilmington . 25,748 

Raleigh . 19,218 

Asheville . 18,762 

Durham . 18,241 

Winston . 17,167 

Greensboro . 15,895 

NORTH DAKOTA 

Fargo . 14,331 

Grand Forks . 12,478 


OHIO 

Cleveland . 560,663 

Cincinnati . 363,591 

Columbus . 181,511 

Toledo . 168,497 

Dayton . 116,577 

Youngstown . 79,066 

Akron . 69,067 

Canton . 50,217 

Springfield . 46,921 

Hamilton . 35,279 

Lima . 30,508 

Lorain . 28,883 

Zanesville . 28,026 

Newark . 25,404 

Portsmouth . 23,481 

Steubenville . 22,391 

Mansfield . 20,768 

East Liverpool . 20,387 

Sandusky . 19,989 

Ashtabula . 18,266 

Marion . 18,232 

Norwood . 16,185 

Lakewood . 15,181 

Alliance . 15,083 

Findlay . 14,858 

Elyria . 14,825 

Chillicothe . 14,508 

Massillon . 13,879 

Piqua . 13,388 

Middletown . 13,152 

Ironton . 13,147 

Lancaster . 13,093 

Bellaire . 12,946 

Marietta . 12,923 

Tiffin . 11,894 

Cambridge . 11,327 

Warren . 11,081 







































































































CITIES OF UNITED STATES: CENSUS 1910 213 


OKLAHOMA 


Oklahoma. 64,205 

Muskogee . 25,278 

Tulsa . 18,182 

Enid . 13,799 

McAlester . 12,954 

Shawnee . 12,474 

Guthrie . 11,654 

Chicasha . 10,320 

OREGON 

Portland . 207,214 

Salem . 14,094 


PENNSYLVANIA 


Philadelphia 

Pittsburg . 

Scranton . 

Reading . 

Wilkes-Barre . . 

Erie . 

Harrisburg .... 

Johnstown . 

Altoona . 

Allentown . 

Lancaster . 

York . 

McKeesport .... 

Chester . 

Newcastle . 

Williamsport ... 

Easton . 

Norristown .... 
Shenandoah .... 

Hazleton . 

Butler . 

Pottsville . 

South Bethlehem 

Shamokin . 

Braddock . 

Lebanon . 

Wilkinsburg ... 

Nanticoke . 

Washington .... 

Homestead . 

Dunmore . 

Mt. Carmel - 

Carbondale .... 

Plymouth . 

Pittston . 

Mahanoy . 

Duquesne . 


1,549,008 
. 533,905 
129,867 
. 96,071 
. 67,105 
. 66,525 
. 64,186 
. 55,482 
. 52,127 
. 51,913 
. 47,227 
. 44,750 
. 42,694 
. 38,537 
. 36,280 
. 31,860 
. 28,523 
. 27,875 
. 25,774 
. 25,452 
. 20,728 
. 20,236 
. 19,973 

. 19,588 

. 19,357 
. 19,240 

. 18,924 

. 18,877 

. 18,778 
. 18,713 

. 17,615 
. 17,532 

. 17,040 
. 16,996 

. 16,267 
. 15,936 

. 15,727 


Oil City. 

15,657 

Pottstown . 

15,599 

Sharon . 

15,270 

McKees Rocks . 

14,702 

Bradford . 

14,544 

Steelton . 

14,246 

Sunbury . 

13,770 

Uniontown . 

13,344 

Greensburg . 

13,012 

Connellsville . 

12,845 

Bethlehem . 

12,837 

Meadville . 

12,780 

Dubois . 

12,623 

Beaver Falls . 

12,191 

North Braddock. 

11,824 

Chambersburg. 

11,800 

Monessen . 

11,775 

West Chester . 

11,767 

Columbia . 

11,454 

Old Forge . 

11,324 

Coatesville . 

11,084 

Warren . 

11,080 

Phoenixville . 

10,743 

Carlisle . 

10,303 

South Sharon . 

10,190 

Carnegie . 

10,009 

RHODE ISLAND 


Providence . 

224,326 

Pawtucket . 

51,622 

Woonsocket . 

38,125 

Newport . 

27,149 

Warwick . 

26,629 

Central Falls . 

22,754 

Cranston . 

21,107 

East Providence. 

15,808 

Cumberland . 

10,107 

SOUTH CAROLINA 


Charleston . 

58,833 

Columbia . 

26,319 

Spartanburg . 

17,517 

Greenville . 

15,741 

SOUTH DAKOTA 


Sioux Falls . 

14,094 

Aberdeen . 

10,753 





























































































214 


LETTER WRITING 


TENNESSEE 


Memphis . 131,105 

Nashville .110,364 

Chattanooga . 44,604 

Knoxville . 36,346 

Jackson . 15,779 

TEXAS 

San Antonio . 96,614 

Dallas . 92,104 

Houston . 78,800 

Fort Worth . 73,312 

El Paso. 39,279 

Galveston . 36,981 

Austin . 29,860 

Waco . 26,425 

Beaumont . 20,640 

Laredo . 14,855 

Denison . 13,632 

Sherman . 12,412 

Marshall . 11,452 

Paris . 11,269 

Temple . 10,993 

Brownsville . 10,517 

Palestine . 10,482 

Tyler . 10,400 

Cleburne .10,364 

San Angelo . 10,321 

UTAH 

Salt Lake City . 92,777 

Ogden . 25,580 

VERMONT 

Burlington . 20,468 

Rutland . 13,546 

Barre . 10,734 


VIRGINIA 

Richmond . 127,628 

Norfolk . 67,452 

Roanoke . 34,874 

Portsmouth . 33,190 


Lynchburg . 

29,494 

Petersburg . 

24,127 

Newport News . 

20,205 

Danville . 

19,020 

Alexandria . 

15,329 

Staunton . 

10,604 

WASHINGTON 


Seattle . 

237,194 

Spokane . 

104,402 

Tacoma . 

83,743 

Everett . 

24,814 

Bellingham . 

24,298 

Walla Walla . 

19,364 

North Yakima . 

14,082 

Aberdeen . 

13,660 

WEST VIRGINIA 


Wheeling . 

41,641 

Huntington . 

31,161 

Charleston . 

22,996 

Parkersburg . 

17,842 

Bluefield . 

11,188 

Martinsburg . 

10,698 

WISCONSIN 


Milwaukee . 

373,857 

Superior . 

40,384 

Racine . 

38,002 

Oshkosh . 

33,062 

La Crosse . 

30,417 

Sheboygan . 

26,398 

Madison . 

25,531 

Green Bay . 

25,236 

Kenosha . 

21,371 

Fond du Lac . 

18,797 

Eau Claire . 

18,310 

Appleton . 

16,773 

Wausau . 

16,560 

Beloit . 

15,125 

Marinette . 

14,610 

Janesville . 

13,894 

Manitowoc . 

13,027 

Ashland . 

11,594 

WYOMING 


Cheyenne . A>.< 

11,320 













































































INDEX 


215 


INDEX 


Numbers refer to Paragraphs, unless the word ‘page’ precedes the number. 


Abbreviations, Catholic... .page 203 

classified list of .page 205 

general remarks . 816 

of titles .page 190 

ABC Code . 854 

Absolute secrecy .851,852 

Abuse of titles 923 

Acceptances and Regrets_878-885 

Accuracy, grammatical . 793 

Acknowledging orders . 692 

Acknowledging payment _681-688 

Address, forms of .page 195 

in letters .32-42 

models of .44-48 

writer’s . 828 

Adjective clause .156 

Adverb clauses . 157 

Advertising .864,865 

Ambiguity . 184 

Anniversaries, wedding . 873 

Announcements, wedding . 872 

Answers, date of . 797 

hasty .829 

promptness of .802,830 

Apostrophe . 169 

Application blanks .1003 

Application, wording of . 670 

how written . 668 

importance of care . 669 

letters of .667-670 

Asking payment .710-738 

Attendant elements . 146 

Attitude toward creditors. 721 


Barbarisms .182, 249 

Betrothal cards . 901 

Blackmail ..739-747 

Body, beginning of . 50 

of letter .49-61 

Brackets, uses of. 162 

Brevity vs. terseness . 682 

Business cards . 905 

Business letters, classified.4,656 

defined . 3 

length of . 835 

Cablegrams .848-856 


Cable tariff . 853 

Canada, mail to . 991 

Cancelling machine . 954 

Capitalization, of salutation .... 43 

of superscription. 119 

Capitals .124-39,1015 

reduced . 775 

rules for .125-139 

Cards .886-906 

Cards and notes . 866-870 

classes of .900-906 

inscription on . 895 

titles on . 897 

uses of .887-891 

Card system . 727-738 

Caret, uses of. 172 

Carriers, expense for. 956 

number of . 957 

Catholic Titles and Forms..page 199 

Ceremonial cards . 900 

Character in commercial life.... 718 

Charity, Sisters of . 927 

Checks .695,698-700 

indorsement of . 700 

tellers’ checks .695,696 

Chronic kickers . 713 

Cipher, in telegraphing .848-853 

Circulars and circular letters.754-762 

Cities, population of_pages 208-214 

City address . 105 

City, heading for . 15 


Clauses, punctuation for . 

.150-152, 156, 157 

Classification, of postal matter 979-982 
of titles and abbreviations page 190 


Classes of customers . 720 

Classes of dealers . 714 

Clearness of diction . 784 

Code, telegraphic ..842-853 

C. O. D., goods sent . 691 

Collection agency . 747 

Collection clerk . 719 

Collections .710-738 

Collective nouns . 210 

Colon, uses of . 16$ 

Comma, rules for .146-159 





















































































216 


LETTER WRITING 


Complete letter-writers. 796 

Complimentary close, definition. 63 

forms of . 68 

Composition, kinds of .648-650 

Compound predicate, punctuation 159 

sentence, punctuation for. 158 

Compound words . 171 

Conclusion, to a letter .62-84 

models of .64, 71, 72,84,85,86 

punctuation of. 83 

Condolence, letters of.766-770 

Confectioneries . 990 

Confidential clerk .1023 

Congratulation, letters of. 765 

Contractions, general remarks.. 816 

special . 819 

Co-ordinate clauses . 150 

Copying letters . 805 

Copy for the press . 764 

Correct position in writing, .page 8 

Country address . 105 

Country places, heading for .... 17 

County treasurers . 743 

Courteous phrases . 724 

Courtesy, in writing . 818 

Credit, letters of .671-677 

Creditors, attitude toward. 721 

Currency . 694 

Curse to credit world . 715 

Dash, punctuation for . 160 

Date of letter answered. 797 

Day letters by telegraph. 857 

“Dead beats” . 714 

Dead letter office, employes of... 958 

letters, when sent . 114 

pieces received . 112 

Delivery of introduction . 665 

Delivery of notes . 885 

Dictation to stenographers.1012 

Diction .175,640-647 

Precision of . 178 

Propriety of . 177 

Purity of. 176 

Diction of letters.783-794 

Didactic style . 187 

Dinners .874,875,880 

Dishonest attorneys . 717 

Division of words .1018 

Divisions of railway .. 951 

Doctor of medicine, title of..925,926 

Domestic postage . 978 

Don’ts ..965-977 


Drafts .697-700 

endorsement of . 700 

Drop letters . 986 

Dunning letters . 833 

Duplicate letters .1019 


Effect of repetition .761 

Ellipsis .152,173 

Emphasis, how shown . 822 

Enclosures, folding . 699 

Endorsement of business paper.. 700 

English, good . 787 

Envelopes . 12 

care in directing . 706 

inserting letter. 97 

self-addressed . 113 

special request . 114 

stamped, when spoiled . 942 

the right one . 812 

Equivocation . 189 

Exercises— 

1 Headings .page 16 

2 Headings and introductions 

. page 22 

3 Conclusions . “ 33 

4 Headings and conclusions 

. page 33 

5 Superscriptions -... “ 42 

6 Letters of introduction “ 100 

7 “ “ application. “ 102 

8 “ “ credit . “ 105 

9 “ “ recommendation 

. page 107 

10 Letters acknowledging pay¬ 

ment. page 110 

11 Letters ordering goods “ 111 

12 “ enclosing invoice “ 116 

13 “ asking payment “ 124 

14 “ of inquiry and in¬ 
formation ..page 129 

15 Letters of congratulation.. 

. page 133 

16 Rough Draft . “ 138 

17 - “ “ .. “ 139 

18 Miscellaneous correspond¬ 


ence .pages 141-146 


Erasures .1014 

Errors in letters . 821 

Exclamation point, uses of .... 167 

Explosives, poisons, etc.985 

Express orders, cost of . 702 

Facts about Postal system.. .945-959 


















































































INDEX 


217 


Familiar notes . 877 

Featuring letters . 758 

Figures . 801 

Filing letters . 804-808 

Flowery language . 788 

Folding of letters .89-98 

Follow-up system . 808 

Foreign words . 790 

Forms, address and salutation.. 


Forms of letters. 1022 and pages 11,12 

Forwarding mail... 984 

Free delivery post offices... .956, 988 
French phrases . 870 

General and private letters.. .755-757 
General Delivery, use of words.. 110 

Good English . 787 

Goods, letters ordering.689-691 

sent C. O. D. 691 

Grammatical accuracy_______ 793 

Growth of postal system 1004 

Hasty answers . 829 

Heading .15-31 

at end of letter . 837 

Honorable, title of .929,930 

How to systematize thought.651-654 

How to write for the press. 764 

Hyphen, rules for .170,171 

Identification . 936 

Increase in revenues .1005 

Indorsement of letters . 826 

Ink . 14 

Inquiry, letters of .748-753 

Inquiry, what is legitimate . 752 

Instant, use of . 819 

Insulting letters, answers to. 802 

Intermediate expressions . 146 

Intermediary rates . 999 

International money orders.998-1000 
Interrogation point, uses of .... 166 

Introduction to letters .32-48 

models of .44-48 

use of titles in .33,34 

Introduction, residence . 36 

Introduction, letters of .659-666 

delivery of . 665 

length of . 661 

praise in. 662 


sealing . 663 

superscription for... 664 

whom to introduce. 660 

Introductory words . 146 

Invention .638,642-647 

Inverted phrases or clauses .... 151 

Invitations, wedding . 871 

Invoice, letters enclosing. 709 

Jefferson, letter by . 767 

Junior, use of . 813 

Kinds of composition .648-650 

Kinds of letters .2-8,656 

Language, of letter's . 785 

in general .1015 

Legibility . 112 

Lettergrams . 858 

Letters, body of .49-57 

care of . 804 

care in writing. 829 

classified .2-8,656 

complimentary close .63-73. 

conclusion of .62-86 

copying . 805 

courtesy in ... 818 

diction and construction of.783-794 

dunning . 833 

duplicated .1019 

errors in . 821 

filing .804-808 

folding of .89-98 

form of.1022, and pages 10,11 

friendship and business, mixed. 832 

heading at end of . 837 

heading of .15-30 

indorsement of. 826 

inserting in envelopes . 97 

introduction to.32-43 

legibility in superscription. 112 

length of business letters. 835 

materials for .11-14 

on steamships . 952 

recall of . 934 

sealing of . 827 

skeleton form of .page 10 

style of .639, and page 5 

superscription .99-119 

to the Pope .page 202 


when returned to writer... 114-116 
when sent to dead letter office. 114 

























































































218 


LETTER WRITING 


Letters, kinds of . 656 

of introduction .659-666 

of application .667-670 

pertaining to credit .671-677 

of recommendation .678-680 

acknowledging payment... .681-688 

ordering goods .689-691 

acknowledging orders .692-693 

enclosing remittance .694-708 

enclosing invoice . 709 

asking payment .710-738 

of blackmail . .739-747 

of inquiry and information.748-753 

to the trade (circulars)-754-762 

to the public .763-764 

of congratulation . 765 

of sympathy and condolence 


Letter paper, folding of .90-93 

Letter, typewritten form . 

.pages 11,22, 39,99,103,106,117,133 

Letter writers . 796 

Lincoln, letter by . 768 

Live accounts . 736 

Long sentences . 792 

Loose-leaf order book . 738 

Mail, cost of carrying. 947 

catcher, described . 950 

forwarding . 984 

safety of . 959 

stand, illustrated .page 176. 

unmailable .. 985* 

Manifolding .1019 

Margin .51,52 

Master, use of . 924 

Materials ..11-14 

Medicine, doctors of .925,926 

Memorial cards . 903 

Mesdames, use of. 913 

Messrs., use of . 911 

Mexico, mail to. 991 

Military titles . 931 

Miscellaneous hints .782-841 

Miss, use of .915-918 

Mister, use of.911,916,918,919 

Mistress, use of .912,917,918 

Misused words.175-636 

Model letter .page 11 

Models, for conclusion .68-86 

headings .15-29 

introductions .44-48 

superscriptions .100-102 


Modified words and phrases.... 149 
Money Order* becomes invalid.. 937 


general information . 993 

indorsement . 937 

international .938,998-1000 

paying a. 936 

rates .993,996 

Money by telegraph .704, 859 

Money vs. Manhood . 718 

Name and title . 33 

Naval titles . 931 

Neatness .%. 54 

New York, letters delivered.955 

post office . 953 

Night lettergrams . 858 

Night messages, in telegraphing.. 857 

Nota Bene. 825 

Note paper, folding of .94-98 

Notes and cards .866-870 

Notes, familiar . 877 

Number, use of the word_106-109 

Numerical system of filing.807 

Obsolete words . 176 

Official, cards . 904 

titles . 928 

Official letters . 4,5 

signatures . 79 

Olympic, cut of . 953 

Omission of verb . 152 

“Open letter” . 8 

Order of address . Ill 

Order of pages . 836 

Our postal system.932-1010 

Packages, when returned ... .117,977 

Pages, order of . 836 

Paging .. 814 

Paper, size and color. 11 

Paragraphs .53,840,841 

Parcels post .1009 

Parenthesis, use of . 161 

Parenthetical words and phrases. 146 

Parties .876,877 

Partnership signature . 81 

Parts of a letter . 9 

Payment .681-688 

Penmanship . 55 

Pens . 13 

Peftod, uses of . 165 

Perspicuity of style . 180 

Petition, form of .page 198 

































































































INDEX 


219 


to the Pope .page 202 

Phrases, punct’t’n of 146,147,149,151 

Pleonasm . 185 

Pope, letters and petitions to. page 202 

Population of cities_pages 208-214 

Position, of parts of heading.. 15-28 
in writing, illustrated ....page 8 

of introduction .33-40 

of stamp . 123 

Postage on letters . 123 

Postal information .932-1010 

Postal Cards . 935 

cost of . 962 

county treasurer may use .... 743 

how ordered. 963 

single and double . 983 

superscription . 815 

unfavorable publicity. 744 

unmailable . 815 

used for dunning .741,935 

where made . 962 

Postal rates, foreign .1009 

Postal Telegraph Co.• 858 

Postal Union .1001-1010 

Post Cards . 989 

Post offices, new. 946 

Postmasters, number of . 945 

Postscript . 823 

Praise in introduction . 662 

Precision of diction. 178 

Presentation cards ... 902 

Present, obsolete use of . 831 

Principles of credit .731-738 

Professional cards . 904 

Professor, use of title. 922 

abuse of title . 923 

Promptness in answering . 830 

Propriety of diction . 177 

Proving identity .995,997 

Proximo, use of . 819 

Public letters .763, 764 

defined . 8 

Punctuation .140-174 

importance of.142,1015 

marks of . 143 

of conclusion .. 83 

of heading . 29 

of salutation. 41 

Purity of diction. 176 

Quotation marks . 168 

Quotations, punctuation of.. 154,168 


Railway divisions. 951 

Railway mail service .948-952 

Rates of telegraphing . 855 

Recapitulation, in letters. 803 

Receipts . 681 

Recommendation, letters of .... 678 

Redundancy . 186 

Reference, marks of . 174 

Registered letters, general re¬ 
marks . 703 

Registered mail .964,992 

Regrets and acceptances.878-885 

Remittances . 800 

letters accompanying .694-708 

Repetition . 187 

Residence . 36 

in heading. 15 

in introduction . 36 

in superscription . 102 

Restrictive clauses, explained. 156-157 

Return card .114,115 

Return charges . 691 

Reverend, use of . 921 

Right word in the right place... 190 

Right word, the.175-636 

Rough draft .771-780 

Rules for capitals .125-139 

Rules for punctuation .143-174 

Rural delivery .956,988 


Salutation, forms of .page 195 

capitalization . 43 

forms used .38,809 

position of .38-40 

punctuation . 41 

Scholastic Titles... .920 and page 190 

Sealing letters . 827 

Self-addressed envelopes . 113 

Semicolon, uses of . 163 

Sentences, in diction. 792 

Separate subjects .. 59 

Services of collection clerk. 719 

Signatures, to letters .74,838 

corporation .5, 78,86,663 

married woman’s . 77 

official . 78 

plainness . ?5 

widow’s . 77 

Single and double postal cards.. 983 

Sisters of Charity. .927, and page 202 

Skeleton letter .page 10 

Slang words . 791 




























































































220 


LETTER WRITING 


Slow customers .711,712,716 

Social affairs .886-931 

Small words . 789 

Social letters, defined . 7 

Social titles . 909 

Solecism . 183 

Spacing with typewriter.1021 

Special delivery . 987 

Special delivery stamps .941,987 

Special recommendations . 680 

Special systems of filing. 809 

Special request envelopes.... 114,115 

Spelling ..820,1015 

Stamp cancelling machines. 954 

Stamps .121-123 

enclosing a . 799 

how made . 960 

how ordered. 963 

position of .122,123 

redemption . 943 

special delivery .941,987 

taken from stamped envelope.. 943 

where made . ... 960 

Stamped envelopes, when spoiled 942 

where made . 961 

State, name of on envelope .... 933 
Steamer, illustration of ....page 178 

letters on . 952 

Stenographers, instruction for 

.1011-1025 

Structure of letters . 9 

Style in letters . 

179, 639, 642, 789, 794 and page 5 

Superfluous words . 186 

Superscription .99-119 

arrangement and position of.. 103 

capitalization . 119 

extra attention to . 939 

illustrated . 102 

legibility . 112 

of postal cards . 815 

punctuation . 118 

Syllable divisions .1018 

Sympathy and condolence ..766-770 
Sympathy in business . 769 


Tautology . 185 

Telegrams .842-863 

Telegraphing money .704,859 

Telegraph rates .855-859 

Telepost .860-863 

Telepost rates . 861 


Testimonials, how used . 667 

The Covered Bridge . 770 

Things to know .932-944 

Threats .739, 745 

Titles, classification of.page 190 

abbreviations of .page 190 

Catholic .page 199 

diplomatic and consular.. .page 194 

general discussion of .907-931 

in introduction . 33 

in superscription . 100 

military and naval 931, and page 192 

official . 928 

of respect and courtesy ..page 190 
of service, ex-officio... .page 191 

on cards . 897 

scholastic.920, and page 190 

social .909,910 

two or more. 34 

when long. 103 

when used . 834 

Topical _memorandum .652-654 

Transcribing shorthand notes... 1013 

Transient, use of word . 103 

Transportation of mail, cost.... 947 

Transposition of words . 773 

Truthfulness, in correspondence. 811 

Typewriter, the .1020 

Typewritten letter .pages 

...11, 22, 39, 99, 103, 106, 117, 133 

Ultimo, use of. 819 

Underlining in letters . 822 

Unfavorable publicity . 744 

Unmailable matter . 985 

Unpronounceable words . 856 

Verbosity . 188 

Vertical file . 806 

Very short letters . 60 

Visiting cards .887-889 

Vouchers . 688 

Wedding, anniversaries. 873 

announcements . 872 

invitations . 871 

Western Union Telegraph Co.856, 859 

Words, division of .1018 

foreign .790 

misused .175-636 

punctuation of series. 148 

slang . 79 i 

























































































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